King and Lionheart
by Sage Londyn
Summary: Before Damon fell in love with Katherine, his heart belonged to the eldest daughter of the most prominent family in Mystic Falls. But after Claire's father discovered their relationship she was forced to break things off with him. No one knew Claire had been turned into a vampire and sealed in the tomb. What will Claire and Damon do when they find each other again? Follows Show
1. Released

_~"His crown lit up the way as we moved slowly, pass the wandering eyes of the ones that were left behind… Though far away, we're still the same._

_Howling ghosts the reappear in mountains that are stacked with fear. But you're a king and I'm a lionheart. _

_In the sea that's painted black, creatures live below the deck. But you're a king and I'm a lionheart._

_And as the world comes to an end, I'll be there to hold your hand because you're my king and I'm your lionheart…"~ King and Lionheart – Of Monsters and Men_

**Chapter One – Released-**

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**_(_1863- Mystic Falls, Virgina_)_**

Making her way up the long gravel path of her family's estate, Claire kept the sides of her dress above her ankles so that she could see the path in the dim moonlight.

Humming a soft tune under her breath she smiled to herself at how her night had turned out.

"Where have you been?" A small voice asked as Claire's heels tapped on the wood of her family's porch.

Gasping and placing a hand over her heart, Claire looked to see her 12 year old sister, Mary, sitting with her back against the brick house.

"What are you doing out here, it's the middle of the night! Mother would have a fit if she knew you were out of bed." Claire said dramatically placing a hand on her hip and looking at her.

"I wasn't able to fall asleep with all the yelling." Mary said as she looked up at her older sister.

Claire sighed, knowing her younger sister must have meant that their parents had been fighting again.

"Mother… has a black eye." Mary said a few tears slipping down her face.

Claire sighed and shook her head.

"Has father been drinking?" She asked already knowing the answer.

Mary nodded, wiping her eyes again.

"Come on, I'll tuck you back in bed." Claire said extending a hand to her.

Quietly opening the door to her younger sibling's room, Claire looked at the large bed in the center with her 8 year old Sister Edith sleeping in the middle.

"Get some sleep Mary, I love you." Claire said as she kissed her sister on the head.

"Were you out with Damon again?" Mary asked a small gleam in her pale blue eyes.

Claire tucked some hair behind her ear that had come out of the pins holding it up.

"Don't tell father, ever since he and Giuseppe had that argument her hates me talking to Damon." Claire said.

"He already knew where you were; that's what they were fighting about." Mary said.

"What did he say?" Claire asked taking a seat beside her sister and making sure they didn't wake Edith up with their talking.

Mary shook her head no.

"Tell me." Claire urged.

"Father said that tonight was the last night you would see Damon. Mother begged him to reconsider." Mary gave away some of their parents fight.

"Is that all?" Claire asked sensing her sister was holding something back.

"I don't want to say it." Mary admitted, biting the inside of her cheek.

"Please." Claire said her voice soft but revealing a bit of the fear she was feeling.

"Luke told him that he saw you and Damon in the barn last week… he said that you were doing something terrible, and that your soul would be damned." Mary whispered.

"Oh god." Claire said, her head now feeling like it was spinning.

"Mother said that Luke must have been mistaken, but Father believed him." Mary went on.

"Close your eyes and get some rest." Claire said, holding back tears as she kissed her younger sister on the head again and blew out the candle on the bedside table.

Making her way through the large upstairs of her house she went to her bedroom and closed the door behind her.

Taking a seat at her vanity she removed all the pins from her hair as she looked at herself in the mirror, her reflection illuminated by candlelight.

Using a dry cloth, she rubbed her skin on her face raw as she removed the last traces of her make up.

**_~The next Day~_**

"Luke…" Claire said as she walked to the back of her family's large farm.

Luke looked at his sister and back to the slaves who were working away in the hot sun.

"Won't you speak to your own sister?" She asked, angered as his ignoring her.

"I have nothing to say to a sinner." He responded as he then barked a few orders at the family's slaves.

Her pale porcelain cheeks reddened from his words as he avoided her eyes.

"I think you're confused… I wasn't…" She tried to defend herself but her cut her off.

"There was no confusion. I saw you and Damon. Being bedded by a man before your wedding night… you're a sinner." He said his words were harsh and stung her.

"We're going to get married." Claire said, finally gaining the strength to look at him.

"You're going to have to… after all, what man would have you now?" He said.

Claire shook her head angrily and stomped off back towards the house, returning over an hour later to the fields with glasses of water.

"Claire! What do you think you're doing?" Her father Garret asked her as she had handed the last glass of water to a slave.

"It's sweltering out here father." She responded, her voice soft.

"Come here!" He instructed.

Carrying the now empty tray down by her side she walked up to him.

"They don't drink until I say they've earned their water, it's barely a quarter after 12, they haven't earned anything." He told her.

Her jaw tensed in anger.

"I don't want to ever see you doing that again, you hear?" He asked, his southern accent stronger with anger.

"They are human beings." Claire said, knowing she might get struck if she spoke against him.

"They are my property, I bought them." He told her.

"And the slave-trade is a terrible thing. They are the same as us, the color of their skin doesn't make them animals." She said her voice strong.

"Get in the house." He said his teeth gritted in rage.

"Father…" She started to say, but he yelled as loud as he could, "Get in the house!"

"What's wrong, honey?" Her aunt Judith asked.

"I told father he was being unfair to his slaves, they are human. One person should not own another like they are nothing more than cattle. He treats the farm animals better than he treats them." Claire said as she picked up the book she was reading from the kitchen counter.

"Shush your mouth. You know that kind of talk will get you nowhere with him, your father is as strong and stubborn as a mule." Judith said to her niece as she poured herself a glass of lemonade.

"You know I'm right." Claire said, looking over the top of her book.

Judith smiled at her niece. She had always admired Claire's strength and the way she seemed to always speak up, even knowing how severe the consequences.

"Kids, go to your rooms…" Garret said; all three girls and his one son started up the staircase.

"Claire, you stay." He instructed.

"What is it?" She asked, as she stood in the parlor.

Her aunt Judith sat in a chair reading a book, while Claire's mom Francis nervously knitted in the seat beside her.

"You and Giuseppe's son seem to be getting close." Garret said, closely watching his daughter's reaction.

"Stefan and I have been great friends since we were children." Claire said.

"I wasn't talking about Stefan, Claire." Garret said.

She was silent.

"I'm talking about his eldest son." Garret went on.

"His name is Damon." Claire said, through gritted teeth.

"You have been inseparable for going on a year now." Garret said, angered by his daughter's attempted deception.

"We enjoy each other's company." Claire said as she smoothed her dress down over the constricting corset.

"You make me sick Claire Ann Worthington. How is anyone supposed to find you respectable when you've been whoring around?" He asked his words harsh and razor edged.

"You are 15, in a year or so it will be time for you to be married off, but because of your lack of discretion and giving into the sins of the flesh you will die alone, an old hag." He said, his words a little slurred.

"No I won't." She said.

"Ha! Are you that naive child? After what you've done, you think any respectable man will take you as his bride?" Garret yelled.

"Garret…" Francis said her husband's name, trying to get him to calm down.

"Shut your mouth, woman." He yelled, pointing a finger at her.

Francis looked back down and started knitting again; her hands shakier than before.

"Damon will have me." Claire said.

Francis gasped under her breath.

"A Salvatore – marrying a Worthington?" He asked, a loud booming laugh filling the house.

"Both of our families are founding families. They are by no means living in poverty, what is so wrong with the Salvatore's?" Claire asked.

"We are the most prominent family in the town, I always pictured you marrying a Fell, or at the lowest a Lockwood. Not a Salvatore." Garret said.

"We are in love, father." Claire said her bright blue eyes rimmed with tears.

"You are a disgrace. I'm tempted to just send you away." He said.

She looked down at the floor.

"Tomorrow is the Summer ball, I assume Damon has requested your company to the event?" Garret asked.

She nodded.

"Good, you tell him that you are no longer going to be seeing him- on any terms." Garret ordered.

"That's not fair." Claire said, her tears now spilling down her face.

"Fair?" He questioned, another drunken laugh filling the open space.

"If you don't, you will no longer be my daughter. I will tell every one of your sins and you will be banished from the town, no one will help you." He said.

"Please fathers… don't make me do this." Claire begged.

"I won't give you a second warning." He said.

Feeling a sudden sense of bravery she shook her head, "I won't do it. He owns my heart."

Taking a quick step forward and with a quick swipe of the hand, he slapped her across the face.

Gasping in pain she held onto her now red cheek as it burned under her touch.

Claire looked back to where her mom and her aunt were sitting, both afraid to even look up in her direction.

"I'm a disgrace? You've struck your own daughter…" Claire said, knowing he wasn't going to back down. She'd either have to end things with Damon, or she'd be disowned.

Again, his hand roughly collided with the side of her face, this time the corner of her mouth busted open against the force.

Tasting the salty coppery taste of her own blood, she cried harder than before.

"I've worked my ass off to build this family an empire. I'll be damned if I'm going to let my daughter ruin our good name." Garret said, before storming out the front door, headed to the local saloon.

"Oh Claire! You've got to learn to not speak back to your father." Her mother said, as she dropped her needlework to the floor and rushed to her daughter's side.

"Let me see." Judith said, as she turned Claire's face to the side and looked at the bright red hand print and blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.

**~The next day…~**

"You look so pretty Claire!" Mary said as she sat on her older sister's bed and watched as she pinned her hair back and did her make up.

"I wish I was old enough to go!" Edith said, puffing her bottom lip out and crossing her arms over her chest.

"You will be soon enough." Claire said looking at her two younger sisters.

Even though she was wearing a brand new dress and her hair laid down perfectly, her make-up had even went on flawless but she couldn't hide the sadness in her eyes.

"Leave your sister alone, she's got a ball to attend." Judith said as she chased the younger girls from the room.

"How do I look?" Claire asked her aunt.

"Beautiful." Judith said as she looked at her stunning niece.

"You do to." Claire replied, looking at her aunt's new ball gown.

"Here; a little more powder and you won't be able to see the bruise." Judith said as she brushed some more powder on the side of Claire's face.

Descending the stairs Claire looked at Damon standing at the landing, smiling at her.

"You look so beautiful." Damon said as she reached the bottom of the steps.

"Thank you." Claire said her eyes searched his face as she spoke.

"Go on out, she'll be right there." Garret said his tone gruff as he spoke to Damon.

"Yes sir." Damon said with a nod as she walked out of the house.

"I will never forgive you." Claire said as she looked at her father.

Heading out the door to the horse drawn carriage with Damon waiting for her, Claire looked back at the house one last time seeing Mary and Edith standing in the door way, both smiling and waving to their big sister. Feeling a stabbing pain in her chest, she knew what she had to do.

"Are you alright?" Damon questioned from his seat across from hers in the carriage as they headed to the Lockwood Mansion.

"Not entirely." She admitted her blue eyes dark as she looked at him.

"Are you ill?" Damon asked, leaning forward and looking at her.

"No." She responded, shaking her head.

"Let's just enjoy the ball and our time together." She said, pushing back the tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

Cocking his head to the side, he looked at her, his eyes full of concern.

As the night drew to a close, a few of the guests started to leave and she knew it wouldn't be long until the entire property was vacated.

"Can we get some air, I need to talk to you alone." Claire said, as she leaned forward and spoke into Damon's ear.

"Of course." He said, as she led her toward the house and out the back door.

Walking to the back of the property in silence, Claire looked up at the stars and tried to rehears what she would say to him.

It wasn't until she felt something drip onto her chest she realized tears were pouring down her face.

"Why are you crying?" Damon asked, facing her and resting his hands on the sides of her hips.

"We can't do this anymore." She said shaking her head as the tears just kept falling.

"Do what? What are you talking about?" Damon asked, growing more worried with every passing second.

"My brother saw us last week… when we were in the barn… alone together." She said her eyes red from crying.

Damon's eyes widened at the realization of the night she was referring to.

"I told you we'd be found out. It was only a matter of time before we got too careless and didn't cover our tracks. But I always get so caught up in the moment with you, and when I'm with you… nothing else matters." She said, looking at him.

"We can bribe Luke not to tell anyone." Damon offered.

"It's too late, he told my parents. After tonight I am banned from having any sort of contact with you." Claire said.

"No… they can't do that to us. I love you." Damon said, looking at her.

She was silent.

"We can run off, head up north, get married." Damon said, pulling her closer to him as he spoke.

"I can't run away." Claire told him.

"Why? We could be together for the rest of our lives… isn't that what you want?" He asked.

"Of course it is. I love you more than life itself Damon Salvatore." She said, biting down on her bottom lip.

"Then let's go. We can leave Mystic Falls tonight." Damon encouraged.

"I'm the only thing standing between my younger sisters and my father's beatings. If I leave he will single one of them out as the bad child and make their lives hell. I can't abandon my sisters." Claire said.

"They will be fine." Damon said, not able to imagine never being able to touch Claire again.

"You cannot make a promise like that. Every day my father spends more and more time at the saloon, his drinking has increased and so has his anger. My mother is hiding out at home with a black eye for trying to stand up for me." Claire explained.

"We could take Mary and Edith with us, we could all start over new." Damon said his hands now clutching onto her sides, not wanting to let her go.

"Raise two children? I'm 15 and you're 19, what kind of job could you get to support all of us? It's unthinkable that we could give them a good life, we'd be lucky to support ourselves without the help of either of our families." Claire told him.

"I will find a way, if I have to work from sunrise to the dead of night every day I will." Damon vowed his eyes now watery to.

"Then I will ask your father for your hand." Damon said.

"He doesn't think you're good enough, if we don't go our separate ways than he is going to tell everyone of our sins… I'll be banished from the town and carry the shame wherever I go." She said.

"Claire…" He begged.

"Please don't make this harder than it is… my heart is already broken." Claire said, as she placed a hand on the side of his face and looked in his eyes.

"I don't want to live without you." Damon said, as he pressed a desperate kiss to her trembling lips.

"You have to. I am so sorry." Claire said as she stepped away from him.

He opened his mouth to say something but she shook her head.

"Go Damon." She said, closing her eyes as she couldn't bear the thought of watching him leave her.

After what felt like an eternity, she opened her eyes and looked around the empty dark yard. Tears rained from her eyes as she dropped to her knees, feeling the cool grass under her hands.

"Claire! What happened?" Stefan asked as he walked over to her, kneeling on the ground beside her.

She gave him a tearful and garbled version of what happened with her and Damon.

Nodding and giving her a sympathetic look he said, "Come on, the ball is over."

Helping the shaky girl to her feet, he led her around to the front of the house where only one carriage remained.

He looked at his good friend, they had been friends for over ten years ever since they were young children.

"Take my carriage." He said opening the door for her.

"How will you get home?" She asked, rubbing her eyes.

"I can walk." He said as he opened the door for her.

"Thank you." Claire said, as she looked at him.

He gave her a warm hug before helping her into the carriage.

**_((_Present Day_))_**

"Come on honey, we need to get you changed into some clothes." Judith said as she helped her niece change into more modern clothes; they left her dress from 1864 in a pile of old fabric on the floor of the tomb under where the church used to be.

"How are you alive?" Claire asked as she drained the 3rd blood bag her aunt handed her.

"The same as you." Judith replied as she led her niece through he woods to where she had parked her car in the dark.

"How long have you been a vampire?" Claire asked her entire body still hurt from having over a hundred years of starvation from being locked in the tomb.

"Since 1866, keep moving I need to get you home before the sun comes up." Judith said as she hit the button on her keys to unlock the car.

"I have a ring." Claire said as she looking down at the small band with blue lapis lazuli stone thumb ring.

Jumping and gasping Claire yelled, "What is that?"

"It's a car, honey. Come on… it's safe." Judith said as she loaded her niece into the passenger seat.

"You found her? Good." A friendly male said as he opened the door to a large Victorian style house.

Smelling the fresh blood coursing through his veins, her teeth burned and she felt the skin around her eyes shift.

His eyes widend.

"It's okay Brian, I'll get her some more blood bags… she won't hurt you." Judith said.

"I'm so sorry." Claire said using a shaky hand to cover her mouth as her teeth still ached for blood.

"Come on in Claire." Brain said as he stepped to the side and let the two vampires in.

**((A week later))**

"Ready?" Anna asked as she stood on the porch of Brian's house.

"Anna!" Claire said with a large smile as she emerged from the house and hugged her.

"I still can't believe Katherine turned you, she never told me." Anna admitted as the two girls headed to her aunts car.

"You'll have to drive; I haven't mastered the technique of the vehicle yet." Claire said, smiling in the warm sunlight.

"It's a car, no one says vehicle anymore." Anna said smiling.

"Sorry, I've been reading and watching T.V. every waking minute… but I haven't seen anything in over 100 years! It's all so new to me!" Claire said, as the girls headed towards the mall.

Walking through the mall Claire looked around and laughed excitedly as she clapped her hands.

"Look at all the clothes! And we can wear pants now! Isn't it wonderful Anna?" Claire asked as she spun in a circle and laughed again.

"You're drawing way to much attention… chill out on the dramatics…" Anna said as she led her into a clothing store.

"I really missed you." Anna said, looking at Claire.

"I missed you too! Well, I missed everyone… I can't believe no one knew I had been turned. So how did you manage to get the tomb open?" Claire asked as they headed to the grill to meet with Anna's mother.

"It took me a long time, it was really tricky." Anna said, deciding against telling Claire that Damon and Stefan had been turned and were still alive.

"Is Katherine still alive?" Claire asked.

"I haven't seen her since the 1980's, but yeah I'd bet she's still alive." Anna said, looking over at her.

"I can't believe she let me get locked in that tomb… she was my best friend." Claire said.

"Katherine is selfish, and when it comes down to it… the only person Katherine is going to protect is Katherine." Anna said.

"I trusted her." Claire said, looking down at her lap as she rubbed her hands over the soft denim fabric from her new jeans.

"Big mistake." Anna said as she pulled into a parking spot at the grill.

"Not my biggest mistake." Claire said, as she thought back to the night she had parted ways with Damon.

"Anna…" Claire started to say but stopped.

"What?" She asked.

"Never mind… I don't think I'm ready to know yet." Claire said, as she decided against asking what became of her old friends and family.

"Claire! How wonderful to see you again." Pearl said as she hugged the girl.

"Pearl, it's been too long." Claire said as she returned the hug to another one of her old friends.

After sitting for a while Claire watched as Anna texted a boy from across the room on her phone.

Feeling bored and annoyed, Claire walked over to the pool table and watched wide eyed.

"Can I help you?" A blond boy said as he noticed her standing next to the table.

"What is this?" She asked as she picked up one of the pool balls from the table.

"Some sort of game?" She questioned her bright blue eyes wide.

A dark haired boy exchanged looks with the blond boy.

"I'm Tyler." The dark haired boy said.

"Claire, it's nice to meet you." Claire said as she extended her hand keeping the back of her hand up.

Tyler looked at her strange. "Uh… nice to meet you to."

Taking her hand he lightly shook it before looking at her.

She raised her eyebrows expectantly.

Matt cracked up as Tyler raised her hand to his mouth and lightly kissed the back of it.

Claire nodded with approval.

"I gotta get back to work." Matt said.

"See you later, Matt." Tyler said, not taking his eyes off the blonde beauty standing in front of him.

"So this game, what is it?" She repeated her earlier questions.

"It's pool…" Tyler said, cocking his head to the side.

"I've never heard of it." She admitted, picking up another ball and looking at it before tossing it into the hole in the corner of the table.

"Are you for real?" Tyler asked, looking at her.

Placing a hand over her chest she said, "I am not fake."

"Oh… wow. You're… serious aren't you?" Tyler asked.

She nodded.

"Do you want me to show you how to play?" Tyler asked her, his eyes slowly moving from her pretty face to her form fitting tank top and snug jeans.

"Are ladies allowed to play?" She asked him, her blue eyes wide.

"Anyone can play…" He said, looking around the grill.

"We don't need any sort of special uniform?" She questioned, looking at his clothes.

"Where are you from?" He asked her.

"Here in Virginia, I just recently moved to Mystic Falls with my aunt. I'm homeschooled, and that's why you haven't seen me around before." She said, repeating the story both Anna and her Aunt Judith had told her to tell people.

"Okay…" Tyler said.

Tyler explained the rules of the game and helped her hold the pool-stick right, and guided her through several moves.

"Was that right?" She asked as she shot a ball across the table.

"Yeah! That was great actually." Tyler said, looking at her.

"Yay!" She said, excitedly clapping and slightly jumping up and down.

Tyler smiled widely and laughed with her.

"You… are really strange, Claire." Tyler said as the continued to play pool.

"Strange… is that bad these days?" She asked a slight hint of worry in her voice.

"Normally." He said.

"Oh." Claire said, glancing down as she laid the pool stick on the side of the table.

"But, it suits you." Tyler said, smiling at her.

Smiling again, she brushed her light blonde hair from her pale porcelain skin, her intense blue eyes locked with his.

"Maybe we could hang out sometime, like grab dinner and maybe catch a movie." Tyler said; everything about her drew him in.

Gasping her eyes widened, "Dinner and a movie, a date?" She asked she had been brushing up on current times over the past week.

"Is that a yes?" Tyler asked.

Nodding excitedly she said, "I've been meaning to see a Hollywood film production."

"Great, uhh… do you want me to pick you up, or do you want to meet here?" He asked.

"Well if it's a proper date, you are supposed to pick me up." Claire said her eyes brighter than before.

After giving him her address she looked over to Anna and then back to Tyler.

"Well, I'd better get going. But I'll see you tomorrow night?" She questioned.

"It's a date." Tyler agreed nodding.

Extending her hand to him again, he took it and kissed the back of her hand.

"See you tomorrow Claire." He said, as he released her hand and watched her walk back to the table with Anna.

A little while later Claire gasped, "Oh my god! Katherine?"

"No, Claire. That's not Katherine… That's Elena Gilbert." Anna said.

"She could be Katherine's twin." Claire pointed out, watching as the girl sat down at a table and started talking to a few friends of hers.

"I know right, but she's not and you need to stay away from her." Anna warned.

"Why?" Claire asked, still amazed at Elena's resemblance to her old friend.

"She… just hangs around with some people that could be dangerous is all." Anna lied, Claire was one of Anna's oldest friends and she feared if Claire learned that the Salvatore brothers were alive, she'd go with them and not her. Plus, Anna knew how much Damon had changed since his human years and she didn't want to see Claire get hurt.

"Trust me, you're better off not knowing her." Anna finished her sentence.

"Okay. You know these people better than I do." Claire agreed, nodding her head.

* * *

**_A/N - I hope everyone liked the first chapter! ^_^ I had a lot of fun writing it and I'm excited to continue this story._**

**_Also, I know she set up a date with Tyler at the end of the chapter... but don't worry, this is a Damon/OC story. ^_-_**

**If you liked the first chapter, please take a few moments to let me know. I appreciate your reviews so much! It's the only way I know that I have fans for a certain story, and I focus most of my time on my more popular stories. So please don't be a silent reader. ^_^**


	2. Transition

**Chapter Two – Transition -**

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_**(_1864- Mystic Falls, Virgina_)**_

"You're a good friend to alert us of the town's recent discoveries." Pearl said as she looked at Claire.

"What are you going to do?" Claire asked as she looked between Katherine and Pearl.

She had just showed them a bottle of vervain elixir that her dad had given her, and told them about how Jonathon Gilbert was getting suspicious of all the recent animal attacks.

"We must leave town before we are found out." Pearl said, looking to her daughter Annabelle.

A few days later Claire stood in her room looking at the vase with flowers on her dresser as she cried.

"Claire? What's wrong?" Katherine asked as she entered her best friend's room.

Wiping her eyes Claire said, "Father has promised my hand to one of the Fell boys."

Katherine was silent as she looked at her friend.

"I don't want to be married off to him, I don't love him. I don't even care for his company." Claire continued to sob.

"Which Fell?" Katherine asked.

"Samuel!" Claire exclaimed her voice hoarse.

"The one who was trying to force himself onto you the night we met?" Katherine asked, her mind flashing back to the first time she had actually met Claire.

"The thought of being his wife sickens me… I will be expected to carry his children." She sobbed.

"Did you protest the idea?" Katherine asked.

"Of course, but father said; I should be happy that such a wealthy and respected man is willing to take a soiled whore, like me as his wife." Claire said repeating her father's words.

"I'll be leaving town in a few days, right before they are expected to round up all the vampires." Katherine said.

"I wish you the best, Katherine." Claire said her voice honest even though her heart was broken for herself.

"You're my best friend…I like you." Katherine went on to say as she stepped closer to her.

"I like you also, I'm sad to see you go… but you must go to stay alive." Claire told her.

Katherine's full dark brunet hair moved as she shook her head, "I want you to come with me."

"I can't." Claire said.

"I had this fashioned for you." Katherine said as she took Claire's hand and slid a silver ring on her thumb that had small blue stones.

"It's beautiful." Claire said, as she looked at it.

Then her watery eyes focused on the blue stones.

"Wait… a daylight ring?" Claire asked her eyes widened.

"Yes." Katherine said with a nod.

"No, I cannot be like you. I don't want to be." Claire said her words honest.

"I can turn Stefan and Damon too." Katherine informed her.

"And damn us all?" Claire replied.

"The four of us could leave town, start a new life somewhere." Katherine said.

"There would be nothing there for me." Claire pointed out.

"Damon." Katherine said with an arched eyebrow.

"We both know he loves you now… not me." Claire said, tears stinging her eyes.

"He still loves you, I can see it when he looks at you. But you denied him, I'm not a fool. I know very well if you came back he'd fall out of love with me as easily as he fell under my spell." Katherine said.

"You're wrong." Claire said, more tears pouring down her cheeks.

"No I am not. I speak the truth Claire and you know it. Besides… I don't want Damon, I only want Stefan." Katherine admitted.

Claire's face shifted in pain, "Then why string Damon along?"

"He was there and easy to take hold of after the broken hearted mess you left of him. He just wanted someone to obsess about to forget about you." Katherine said.

"You're selfish and cold-hearted Katherine Peirce." Claire said her voice strong.

Katherine tilted her head back and laughed.

"So you've told me before. Although, I have to say it never ceases to bewilder me how you speak to me with such animosity knowing how easily I could kill you." Katherine said taking a step forward.

Claire stood her ground.

"Of course I think that's why I like you so much… you've got fire in you. Your boldness and passion only fall short of my own. I want to keep you forever…" She went onto say.

"I am human…" Claire said.

"As was I… once." Katherine clarified.

"But you did this to yourself, to stay alive because Klaus wanted to drain you of blood." Claire said.

Claire had been the only one Katherine had confided in about her real past.

"A fate only slightly more horrid then being married off to Samuel Fell." Katherine said.

Claire shook her head back and forth.

"You'd really rather stay here? Marry into the Fell family, raise kids and die of either sickness or old age? That is more appealing to you than staying as you are forever? Having power and unimaginable strength?" Katherine tried to sell the idea.

"I'm sorry Katherine." Claire said.

"As am I, Claire." Katherine said.

"This would have been much easier on you, if you had just accepted it." Katherine said as she picked up a pair of scissors from Claire's dresser.

Claire didn't see her as he wiped her eyes and the sides of her face.

When Claire looked back up she saw Katherine swipe the sharp metal over her arm, a thick line of blood immediately coming to the surface.

In an instant Katherine had Claire pinned to the wall, and her open wound against her open mouth.

Tears poured down her face, and her mouth filled with blood until she had no choice but to swallow it.

Katherine backed up and Claire wiped her mouth.

"How could you?' Claire asked, betrayal showed on her face.

"Because, I'm selfish." Katherine said with a small smile as she stepped forward and grabbed onto the sides of Claire's face.

"I will come back for you at nightfall, when you wake up you need to write a letter saying you've run away because you couldn't marry Samuel Fell." Katherine said, as she snapped her best friend's neck and let her body fall to the floor.

Kneeling down Katherine effortlessly picked Claire up and laid her on the bed before leaving the Worthington Estate.

Hours later Claire gasped and sat straight up in her bed, she had never felt hungrier in her entire life.

Every cell of her body ached with hunger and a desire for blood.

She remembered what Katherine had told her; even though she didn't want to she knew she didn't have a choice now, she was in transition.

Quickly she wrote a note:

_My dear beloved family, I am sorry for any heartache and pain my absence may bring you. But I cannot remain in Mystic Falls, I cannot imagine a worse fate that marrying a man I do not love. By the time you read this I will be gone and far enough away you will not be able to find me. Please know that I love each of you with all my hear, and I wish you all a long lifetime of happiness and eternal joy. Love forever, Claire Ann Worthington_

Her signature was slightly smudged from a few tears falling onto the still wet ink.

_**((_Present Day_))**_

"So?" Claire asked as she spun in a circle for Anna.

"You look great!" Anna exclaimed smiling.

Claire looked down at the light blue dress she was wearing that landed a few inches above her knees and showed off a bit of cleavage on top.

"Could you imagine what people would have said if we had worn this back in 1864? They would have thought we were the biggest harlots in town! We would have been banished." Claire asked, as she applied some lip gloss and ran a brush through her long, soft wavy blonde hair.

Anna shook her head and laughed at the thought.

"The world has really changed so much! I wish you could have been here to see it all, instead of locked in the tomb." Anna said as she checked her phone for any texts from Jeremy.

"You really like Jeremy Gilbert, don't you?" Claire asked, smiling. Anna had told her all about Jeremy.

"I do." She said smiling and nodding.

"What are you going to do about your mother?" Claire asked her.

"I don't know, she's just upset because I found a Gilbert who actually likes me for who and what I am… she just can't accept that because Jonathon Gilbert broke her heart and turned on her." Anna said, her eyes darkening some.

"Do you know much about Tyler?" Claire asked, as she slid the cellphone her aunt had given her into the purse she was taking on her date.

"He's hot… but he's kind of a jerk from what I've seen." Anna admitted.

"He seemed friendly." Claire argued.

"Of course he did!" Anna exclaimed with a small laugh.

"He was very charming." Claire went on to stand up for him.

"He's trying to charm his way into your pants Claire." Anna said, laying her phone down on Claire's bed.

"Excuse me?" Claire gasped, looking at her.

"Think about it. You're a gorgeous blonde with piercing blue eyes… not to mention by today's standards a total babe. He's a teenage horn dog… put it all together." Anna said.

Claire frowned, "I won't ever get used to today's forwardness about…" Her voice trailed off.

Anna looked at her confused.

"Sex." Claire replied, looking down to the floor as she whispered.

Anna busted out laughing.

"Times have changed… it's a casual thing now." Anna said with a shrug.

"It's not for me." Claire said.

"Please… don't act like you're entirely innocent." Anna said with a small sigh.

Claire's eyes narrowed in anger, "It was not a casual thing, I loved Damon…"

"Hmm, yes… but it happened from when you were 14 until after you were 15." Anna pointed.

"And girls got married at 16 and sometimes younger, Anna. It was the 1800's… people didn't live as long." Claire defended.

"All I'm saying is, you shouldn't go out there acting a like a prude… you won't fit in." Anna said, giving up on teasing her friend.

"I don't fit in either way. I was supposed to have died over a hundred years ago, it's not right… being what I am." Claire said shaking her head back and forth.

"You get to stay eternally young and beautiful." Anna pointed out.

"I never wanted this." Claire admitted.

Sighing Anna stood and faced her, "I know what you're going through, I went through it to… things get a little easier if you shut some of your humanity off and stop caring as much."

Claire avoided her friends eyes.

"Did you hear me?" Anna asked.

"I heard you." Claire said.

"So do it, flip the switch… just not all the way." Anna told her.

"Thank you, I will take your thoughts into consideration." Claire said as she turned and started to leave the room.

"Oh my god, you can't shut it off can you?" Anna asked, her dark eyes wide.

"Is everything okay?" Judith asked as she popped her head in the doorway and looked at the 2 teens.

"Oh my god… forever is going to suck for you." Anna said, in disbelief.

"What are you talking about?" Judith asked.

"Claire doesn't have a switch… she has every ounce of her humanity still." Anna informed Claire's aunt.

Judith looked at Claire as she looked down at the floor still.

Swallowing hard Claire looked up, "I've tried… I have really tried to just shut it off. Katherine told me about how I shut my feeling off. I tried to the whole time I was locked in the tomb, but it never worked."

"It's the bloodlust and giving into the cravings that make our vampire sides strong, make it possible to turn it all off. You were a new vampire when you got locked in there. No blood… nothing to dull the hunger…" Judith said.

"So she was too weak and young to be able to switch it off, and being down there for that long… she lost the chance to develop it." Anna pieced together.

Judith placed a hand over her heart as she said, "So the whole time… all 145 years you never got to dull any of the pain?"

"Not one bit." Claire admitted, swallowing hard as tears stung her eyes.

Hearing the same loud honking noise she had been hearing for close to 20 minutes Claire said, "What in god's name is that noise?"

"You're date is here… sitting out in the car… honking the horn." Judith said, still looking at her niece in shock.

"Goodbye." Claire told them, as she slid past them and down the stairs.

Anna looked at Judith, "How is she going to survive? Not being able to shut off her humanity… that's the only way we can get by sometimes. I can't even imagine…"

Judith swallowed hard and said, "She's the strongest person I know… if anyone can make it she can."

"She's one of my best and oldest friends… but I'm telling you, one day all she's been through is going to be too much." Anna said.

"I think it's best if you go ahead and head back home. Give Pearl my regards." Judith said.

**((After the movie)))**

"I told you to stop." Claire said through gritted teeth as she pushed Tyler back.

He shook his head angrily.

"Look at me." Claire said, as she faced Tyler beside his car.

Frustrated by her not returning his advances he faced her.

"You are to stop trying to kiss me. I have told you 'no' repeatedly and you need to respect that. Now, I no longer wish to date you… so we are going to be friends and that is all. Any romantic feelings you had for me do not exist any longer. We are just friends, and will stay that way." Claire said, as she compelled Tyler.

"We are just friends." He repeated back, in a trance from her mind control.

"Good, that was easy." Claire said, frowning a little at herself. She felt guilty for controlling his mind, but she had spent the entire movie pulling his hand off of her leg, and pushing him back as he tried to kiss her and her neck.

"So, let's go eat… as friends." Claire said as Tyler nodded and they got in the car.

Walking into the grill they took a seat at a booth, and Claire asked him all kinds of questions about school and Mystic Falls in present day.

They had been talking for almost an hour when Tyler groaned at seeing his dad enter the grill.

"Tyler, you're mom has been trying to call you." The Mayor said looking over to Claire.

"Hi there. You must be new in town. I'm Mayor Lockwood… Tyler's dad." He said.

Claire shook his hand, remembering to actually shake and not expect him to kiss the back of her hand. Her aunt and Anna had reminded her of this repeatedly.

"Claire Worthington, it's nice to meet you." She said, politely.

"Worthington? I haven't heard the name for years… did you know the Worthington's used to be most prominent family in Mystic Falls when it was first established?" The Mayor told her.

"We don't need a history lesson, dad…" Tyler said irritated.

"I'm aware." Claire said, smiling a beaming proud smile.

"Tragic story." The mayor went on.

"Excuse me, tragic how?" Claire asked.

"Well, I haven't read over the town archives or old articles in a while. But from what I recall they had a 16 year old daughter, Claire Ann. She disappeared; ran off abandoning her family in 1864, her father couldn't deal with the loss. After a heavy night of drinking he took a shotgun and killed all the remaining members of his family inside the house… it was 1867 I believe." Richard Lockwood told her, recalling the town's history.

"What?" She gasped.

"There was his wife… 2 younger daughters, and a son; all perished at Garrets hands." He told her.

"Oh my god…" She breathed out, tears burning her eyes at hearing the fate of her family.

"Then how did the bloodline live on?" Tyler asked.

"The mother was pregnant at the time with a son, she died but they managed to save the baby. He grew up and started a family of his own, carrying on the Worthington name." Richard answered.

"Are you alright?" Tyler asked, looking at Claire who now had tears pouring down her face.

"That's… so terrible, that poor family…" She sobbed.

Tyler and his dad exchanged slightly confused looks.

"There's more information on it in the archives at the local town hall and museum if you're interest in learning more about your family…" Mayor Lockwood said.

Claire nodded but wasn't able to control her tears as more flowed down her face.

* * *

**A/N**_**- I am so sorry it's taken me so long to get this chapter out and posted. After I wrote the first chapter, I kind of lost interest and wasn't entirely sure where I wanted to take the stories.**_

_**But I have been getting back into a few of my neglected stories, and I read over all your reviews and I was completely re-inspired to get back into it.**_

**I promise, as long as there is still an interest in this story updates will be a lot more regular. ^_^**

**Please take a moment or so, to leave me a review and let me know if you are still interested in seeing this story continued. I appreciate your reviews so much, and it truly was all of your kind words that got me back into this story. So please let me know if you are still reading. ^_^**


	3. Old Friends

**Chapter Three – Old Friends -**

* * *

Claire walked home in the darkness of the night from the local town hall and museum. She had compelled the security guard to let her in so she could look for her family history.

Everything the mayor had told her was the truth, 3 year after she had been locked in the tomb he shot and killed; her mother, her brother Luke who was 17 at the time, and her two younger sisters, Mary who was 15, and Edith who was 11.

She brushed the tears from her cheeks as she wondered how Mary would have looked at 15, and poor little Edith had just started her life; even though Luke had betrayed her and told her father about her and Damon's premarital affairs, her heart broken for him also.

And then her mother, Francis; all she had wanted was the best for her children and she was murdered by the man she had devoted her life to.

Claire had read about the boy born the night of the murders, a baby brother, William, she had never got to meet. She had never even known of his existence, but he had carried on the Worthington bloodline.

She pushed her long blonde hair behind her ears as she neared her house.

"There you are… you were out awfully late." Judith said as she looked up from the book she was reading.

"What happened?" She asked as she saw her distraught niece.

"Father… he killed everyone and then turned the gun on himself." Claire sobbed.

Judith nodded.

"You knew? How could you not tell me? My entire family was murdered! Luke was just becoming a man and poor little Mary and Edith…" Claire continued to cry.

"I was going to tell you, but you're already going through so much. I wanted you to have some time to adjust to life nowadays before I dropped a bombshell like that." Judith said.

She had also been debating on telling her that Damon and Stefan Salvatore were alive. Over the years she had heard their names many times, both of them sounded like nothing but trouble now.

Judith had heard Stefan referred to as a ripper, and Damon left a trail of blood and death wherever he went.

With Claire not able to block any pain or feelings, Judith was afraid such news might send her spiraling down into a depression or might make her want to give up living.

"Aunt Judith, you were turned in 1866… why didn't you get everyone away from my father, when I left in 1864 he was already abusive and losing control of his anger. The shootings weren't until 1867." Claire pointed out.

"I wanted to honey… but I was scared to go back to town. Everyone in Mystic Falls knew about the vampires, one little slip up and I would have been killed." Judith said.

"So you just continued to let them suffer?" Claire gasped.

"I'm not you, I've never been as strong as you… I remember sitting in the kitchen watching Garret's slaves suffering out in the scorching heat, and wishing I had an ounce of the courage you did to bring them water." Judith recalled.

"They were human beings." Claire said, her face contorted in pain.

"I know, and I was less than human for allowing their mistreatment. If I could go back I'd change things, but I can't… and it's been over 100 years. I'm dealing with everything that I've done." Judith told her.

"I'm going to bathe and retire for the night." Claire said, brushing more of her tears away as she started up the stairs.

**~(The next morning)~**

"I've been thinking…" Claire said as she sat at the breakfast table with her aunt and her aunt's boyfriend Brian.

"What about, honey?" Judith asked as she sat a large wine glass with the contents of a blood bag in front of her on the table.

Emptying another bag of blood in her own glass, Judith took a drink.

Taking a small sip of her glass and wiping her lips with a napkin Claire said, "A vampire needs blood to survive, but it doesn't have to be human… does it?"

"Why are you asking?" Judith asked, drinking another large swallow from her glass of blood.

"It's just… I feel bad for drinking this. What if someone is badly hurt and goes to the hospital and needs blood, but there isn't any?" Claire asked, taking another small sip of her own glass.

"I go to different hospitals and blood banks… I'd never take an entire supply." Judith told her.

"Besides, when your parents owned that farm you cried every single time an animal was slaughtered for meat. How would you kill an animal?" Judith asked her young niece.

"I don't know… maybe snap it's neck first so that it wouldn't feel any pain." Claire offered up.

Clearing his throat, Brian stood up and said "Alright, well I'd better get to work."

"Love you." He said as he gave Judith a quick kiss and told them both to have a good day.

"Brian is very nice." Claire observed once he was gone.

"He is." Judith beamed.

"Is he compelled to not tell our secret?" Claire asked.

"No, he wouldn't tell anyone. We've been together for almost 5 years now." Judith admitted.

"That's wonderful." Claire said, brushing a tear from her cheek.

"What's wrong?" Judith asked.

Taking another drink of her blood Claire said, "I just fear I will never find love again… I'm not sure that I want to."

"Give it some time…" Judith said.

"I hate what I am. I hate having to feed on blood, I'm a monster… I never wanted this." Claire said, as she cried a little more.

"I know how difficult it is to adjust to life as vampire, but it will get easier. You have to be strong Claire, you're already doing so good." Judith offered her niece some comfort.

"I wish I had never met Katherine. I wish…" Her voice trailed off as she wiped her eyes before saying, "I wish I had run off with Damon when he asked me to… I would have spent a natural life with him, maybe had children and died knowing I had lived a full life. Now I am damned."

"I need to tell you something." Judith said, thinking maybe it was best if she just told her niece about Damon still being alive.

"I hope it's good news… because I can't take any more bad news." Claire said her blue eyes sad.

Just then Claire's cellphone rang.

Claire studied the screen for a moment before daintily laying a finger on the glass screen and sliding the bar over to answer the call.

"Anna?" She asked at seeing her name on the screen.

"Hey… mom wants me to raid a blood bank, their running low on blood. Wanna come with me?" Anna asked.

"Sure." Claire agreed.

After hanging up the phone Claire looked back to her aunt.

"What was it you need to speak to me about?" Claire questioned.

"It's not important, we'll talk later." She said, deciding she didn't want to ruin the day.

After hitting the blood bank Anna drove them to edge of the woods. "I'm supposed to meet Jeremy, do you think you can drop the blood at the house? Mom and I will be home soon."

"Sure, I'll just wait for you at the house. Try to teach a few more of them the art of using a cellular phone." Claire said with a friendly smile.

Anna raised her eyebrows and nodded, "We still really need to work on the way you word things; it's a cellphone. Not a cellular phone."

"The box said cellular." Claire argued.

"Yeah… but that's now what we call them." Anna replied.

"Well, if it isn't the correct term why, why did they label the box incorrectly?" Claire asked frustrated.

"I'll try to explain later, just please take the blood to them." Anna begged.

"Alright." Claire said as she looked out into the pouring rain as a loud clap of thunder sounded.

Holding the bag tight, Claire raced through the woods at lightning speed to the house, barely getting a drop of water on her as she flew in through the door.

"Good afternoon." Claire greeted the other tomb vampires.

"Anna has sent me with some blood." She informed them as she walked into the kitchen and put the blood in the refrigerator.

She stopped and stood still as she heard cries of agony coming from the basement.

"What is going on?" Claire asked looking to the human who owned the house.

"Oh I don't know sweetie, I'm not allowed to go into the basement." She responded.

Claire gave a friendly smile and nodded.

"Claire!" Fredrick greeted.

"Good afternoon." She responded.

"No Anna?" He asked looking around.

"No, she sent me with blood bags though. Your well stocked up." She added.

He nodded.

"You should go..." Fredrick told her.

"I'm supposed to wait on Pearl and Anna." Claire told him.

"You see, Pearl is no longer running the show around here. I am, and well… you're one of her favorites therefore I don't like or trust you." He said.

Her eyes widened as he pulled a wooden stake from behind his back.

"So I'm giving you the option to go, because even though I don't like you… you've never caused me harm." He said.

Claire bolted from the house and stood outside in the pouring rain, she was about to flee for the woods but she remembered the pained cries form the basement.

As she rounded the outside of the back of the house to get to the outdoor entrance to the basement , she heard a knock at the front door, and with her vampire hearing heard a man say his car had broken down and he needed to use a phone.

Making her way down a hallway she walked into a room to see Harper tied to a chair with a wooden stakes in his legs, and a shirtless man with his arms suspended above his head.

Assuming she didn't know the other man she walked up and placed her hand on the side of Harper's face. "What happened?" She asked.

"Fredrick." He weakly replied.

Pulling the wooden stakes from his legs she turned around, face to face with someone she never thought she'd see again.

"Stefan?" She asked, her blue eyes wide.

"Claire…" He responded, just as confused as she was.

"You're alive?" She gasped.

He was weak from all the vervain and from the wood they had stabbed him with.

"I'm going to untie you." She said.

"The ropes are soaked with vervain." Harper and Stefan both warned her.

"I don't care." She said as she grabbed the ropes gasping in pain as it burned her skin.

But she managed to break the ropes and Stefan fell to the ground with a thud.

"Someone's coming." Harper warned them.

Claire leaned down picking up wooden stakes that had been stuck in Harpers legs and stood in front of where Stefan lay weak on the floor.

"What are you doing down here?" one of the vampires asked.

"Saving them." She admitted.

Pointing to Stefan he said, "He and his brother are the reason we were all sealed in that tomb! Because Katherine couldn't let them go, and they were obsessed with her."

He pulled a wooden stake of his own.

"Come on, Claire. We both know you're not a fighter… you've never killed anything." He pointed out.

Her blue eyes were intense as she looked at him, "I'd like to keep it that way." She said.

"Move, let me finish him off." The vampire said glancing to where Stefan was on the floor.

Claire stepped sideways blocking more of Stefan form the view on the vampire.

"I can't do that." Claire said.

"I will drive this stake through your heart, to get to him. He's not worth dying over." The vampire said.

Claire strongly stood her ground, knowing it was the right thing to do.

"You're really going to die for him?" He asked amused.

"Hopefully not. I intend to fight you and if need be, kill you." Claire admitted, the words sounded out of place, spoken with her sweet, soft voice.

"Claire don't…" Stefan said, as he reached out grabbed onto her ankle through her jeans.

"He will kill you." Stefan told her.

Claire shook her ankle free of his grip.

Looking back up just in time to see the vampire charge her, she quickly jumped out of the way and he slammed into the wall. The impact knocked him backwards and the steak fell from his hand.

Once he landed flat on his back on the floor, Claire jumped on top of him, holding him down.

He fought against her and then looked at her confused, "How are you so strong?" He asked.

"I don't know… aren't we all strong?" She questioned him, as she held him still and he struggled against her.

"Are you going to leave here?" Claire asked him.

"The minute you let me go…I'm going to rip your pretty little blonde head off and then I'm going to slowly and painfully kill Stefan Salvatore." He said, she saw the look of pure hate in his eyes and she knew he was serious.

Already hating herself for it, she reached to the side and quickly drove the stake through his heart killing him.

"Claire!" Harper yelled as best he could with his weak voice.

She looked up just in time to see another vampire barreling towards her, she quickly picked the stake up the other vampire had tried to use on her and stabbed him through the heart.

She stood to her feet and her hands shook as she looked at the 2 dead bodies on the ground, she didn't even know she had it in her to kill. But, it was like a natural instinct for her now.

"Thank you." Stefan said as she helped him to his feet.

"How are you alive?" He asked her, his eyes tracing over her familiar porcelain face, and then met her intense blue eyes.

"Katherine… I was locked in the tomb." She whispered as she heard other voices.

Her eyes widened as she heard a familiar voice, one she only ever heard in her dreams for the past 146 years.

"Is that…?" Claire's voice trailed off and she looked at Stefan.

"Damon." Stefan breathed out in pain.

"I have to go… please don't tell him I'm alive. Don't tell anyone." She begged, glancing back to Harper.

Just then the door opened and Damon and Elena entered the room to see a blur of blonde hair race past them.

"Stefan!" Elena yelled as she ran up to him.

"Who was that?" Damon asked, looking to see the 2 dead vampires on the ground.

"Just another tomb vampire… trying to help me." Stefan said, respecting Claire's wishes.

Claire made it deep into the woods and stopped to look back at the house, she worried that they may not make it out okay.

She racked her brain trying to think of why she had told Stefan not to mention her to Damon and then fled from the house, but it had been 146 years since she had him.

While she was starving and desiccating in the tomb she mourned his inevitable death, thinking he was human. She regretted over and over again not running away with him when she had –had the chance.

She had been so lost in her thoughts that it took her a while to register the sounds of a nearby fight. Making her way through the trees she looked just in time to see Stefan drinking from Elena and jumping up to fight and kill Fredrick.

Then Claire's eyes went to another vampire who was headed full speed towards Elena.

She ran and jumped in front of Elena, knocking the vampire back.

"Are you okay?" Claire asked Elena.

Elena' eyes were wide and she nodded.

Claire heard leaves rustle as the vampire got back up.

"Do you have a stake?" Claire asked.

Before Elena could respond, the vampire knocked Claire to the ground.

There was a struggle, before Elena handed Claire a branch that had been blown down in the storm.

Getting the upper hand, she staked and killed that vampire also.

Rising to her feet she looked over to see Stefan still stabbing away at Fredrick's dead body.

"Stefan! Stefan! He's dead." Elena yelled, scared at seeing his change in attitude.

Claire closed her eyes and she heard Damon talking to another man. Her eyes widened and she raced out of the woods.

A while later Claire walked into the front door of her house, soaking wet from rain.

"Get caught in the storm?" Judith asked with a smile.

Claire's eyes looked dull and lifeless as they met her aunts.

"What's wrong?" Judith asked.

Without speaking to her aunt, Claire walked into the kitchen opening the refrigerator and took out a blood bag.

Judith stood in the door way and watched as she poured the contents into a wine glass and sat down at the table.

"Tell me Aunt Judith, why is it your continually withholding information from me?" Claire asked.

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

"I'm talking about Damon and Stefan Salvatore." Claire said as she finished off her glass and opened the refrigerator taking another bag of blood and filling her glass back up.

"Claire I need you to understand…" Judith started to say.

Getting her 3rd blood bag Claire looked at her aunt, "Understand what?" She snapped.

"Not everyone is like you… do you know how rare it is for a vampire to have their humanity completely intact? You're the first I've met. I have most of my humanity, but I have to fight to keep it. Being what we are, we're born killers…" Judith said.

Claire nodded and shook her head in disgust with herself for the 3 kills she had made that night.

"Get to the point." Claire demanded.

"My point is, you don't want to know them now. They are not the same Salvatore brothers you grew up with." Judith told her.

"Explain." Claire growled.

Judith explained all that she knew about Stefan and Damon over the years.

Shaking her head back and forth Claire said, "That doesn't sound like either one of them! Damon left the army because he couldn't stand the idea of taking a life."

"It's the truth." Judith told her.

Claire could tell by her aunts expression that she was serious.

"And Anna and Pearl?" Claire asked.

"We all agreed it was best to keep it a secret from you until the time was right." Judith admitted.

"How could you?" Claire asked, tears stinging her eyes as she grabbed a few more blood bags and headed up the stairs to her room for the night.

**~(Later that night)~**

Stefan and Elena were in her room, talking about what had happened that day.

"Who was the girl?" Elena asked.

Stefan was quiet.

"Stefan?" Elena questioned.

"She was a really good friend of mine, we grew up together." Stefan admitted.

"She said Katherine turned her, everyone thought she had run away back in 1864, a few days before they started to round up the vampires. Looking back, the timing makes perfect sense." Stefan said, wondering why it hadn't ever crossed his mind that she might have been turned.

"She saved my life." Elena told him.

"Yeah, uhh. She saved mine to." Stefan responded.

"If she's your friend… why did she keep taking off?" Elena questioned.

"She didn't want to see Damon, or let him know she's alive." Stefan explained.

"But why?" Elena asked.

Stefan was silent before he said, "That's not really my story to tell, but I'm going to respect her wishes and not mention a word of this to Damon. Please, don't say anything to him either."

"I won't." Elena said, she planned to track Claire down and talk to her.

* * *

**A/N**_**- Thank you so much for reading!**_

_**Please check out 'Fire and Ice' it's a Vampire Diaries story, a collaboration between myself and Miss E Charlotte. Things are starting to pick up with it even though we are only 4 chapters in.**_

_**Also, there is a link to my Polyvore on my profile. I post outfits, and preview banners for this and a few of my other stories on there. **_

**Please take a moment or so, to leave me a review and let me know if you are still interested in seeing this story continued. I promise, as long as there is still an interest in this story updates will be a lot more regular. ^_^ ****I appreciate your reviews so much, and it truly was all of your kind words that got me back into this story. So please let me know if you are still reading. ^_^**


	4. Who's That Girl?

**Chapter Four – Who's That Girl? –**

* * *

_**((_1864- Mystic Falls, Virginia_))**_

Claire stood at the edge of the woods near her house as she looked up at the night sky, the stars were glowing brightly.

She thought back to months ago when she'd meet Damon in the woods, they spent as much time together as they could.

But ever since the night of the Summer Ball at the Lockwood Estate when her father had forced her to break things off with him, she tried to avoid him at all costs.

It was far too painful to see him, especially now that he and his brother Stefan we're both on an arm of Katherine Peirce.

She thought about sitting down to enjoy the cool, fall night air; but decided against it at remembering all of the recent animal attacks.

Just as she had started to head back home she heard a noise in the woods.

"Hello?" She asked, her voice shaky.

When she didn't hear anything she turned back around gasping at seeing the 2nd oldest Fell son, Samuel.

"It's dangerous for a beautiful lady such as yourself to be out here in the middle of the night." He said.

"I'm just heading home. Have a good night, Samuel." She said as she tried to walk past him; but he moved and blocked her way.

"You are correct, it's the middle of the night and I should be getting home." She said, trying to pass him but again he blocked her way.

"I might have been correct on that matter, but I believe I wasn't entirely truthful on the other." He said.

"I do not have time for your games." She said, irritated at him.

Ever since she had broken things off with Damon, both Samuel and his older brother wouldn't leave her alone.

"Lady is too proper of a term, for you." He went on to insult her.

She took a deep breath and let her lungs deflate slowly; she had also been getting quite a few offhanded remarks like that also.

She had really begun to wonder if Damon had been telling people of their time together.

Holding her head high she tried to walk past him again but he stopped her.

"Yes? I suppose a more suitable term would be jezebel… or harlot." He said.

Claire gasped.

"Tramp… I mean really Claire, the list could go on and on." He said, smiling snidely at her in the moonlight.

Raising her hand she slapped him hard across the face.

"You bitch." He growled as he grabbed her and slammed her body back against a tree.

"Stop it! No! Leave me alone!" She yelled trying to push him off of her.

"I'm just giving you what you've been begging for, wench." He growled, his hands trying to find their way under the many thick layers of her dress.

"Samuel! Stop!" Claire screamed, as tears poured down her face.

"I've been courting you for years and you've paid me no attention. But then you give everything to Damon Salvatore?" He asked, still trying to get under her dress.

"Help!" She screamed at the top of her lungs.

Startled by her loud outcry, he cupped a hand over her mouth. She tried to fight him off, but he was too strong and kept her pinned.

More tears poured down her face as his free hand found it's way back under dress.

"I'm just taking what should have rightfully been mine." He growled, his breath labored as it hit her face.

Just then there was a blur that shot past them.

He let go of her and looked around, "What was that?" He questioned.

Claire stayed quiet as she could feel the hair on her neck stand on end.

"Go home." A woman said as she appeared in front of him.

As if he were in a trance he said, "I'm going home."

Claire watched as he turned and left through the woods.

She then turned her attention back to the woman standing in front of her.

"You're… Katherine Peirce." Claire said, her eyes going to her chin that was covered in fresh blood.

Katherine watched Claire closely, a little surprised at the look in her eyes. She had expected pure terror and had planned to compel her or kill her.

"I know what you are." Claire said, as she bravely took a step forward.

"You do?" Katherine asked, thrown off by her actions.

Raising a shaky hand Claire lightly swiped a finger over her chin and looked down to the blood on her finger.

"Vampire." Claire said, her eyes wide.

"I've read books about Vampires… I knew it wasn't animal attacks. You're just feeding." Claire said an astonished look on her face.

Katherine couldn't find words to say as Claire continued to stump her.

"You're so strong and you get to make your own rules." Claire continued to think out loud, looking at her with a look if admiration.

"Thank you… for saving me." Claire said her tone honest.

"You're not afraid of me?" Katherine questioned.

Claire shook her head back and forth, "I can think of several worse ways to die."

Katherine wasn't able to stop the smile that spread across her lips at the girl's reaction.

"Are you going to kill me?" Claire asked.

"No… I'm going to let you live." Katherine admitted.

"Why?" she asked.

"I like you. We're going to be great friends, you and I." Katherine said before she took off running and disappeared into the woods.

Claire took one last look at her surroundings and then started back for her house.

A couple weeks later, Claire was sitting against a tree in the woods. It was the middle of the day and she was reading a book.

"Good afternoon." Katherine said as she joined her.

"Katherine, good afternoon!" Claire responded with a smile.

The girls had been spending a lot of time together since they had first met.

Katherine sat on a nearby tree stump and watched as Claire read her book.

"Do you love them both?" Claire asked, not looking up from her book.

"Stefan and Damon?" Katherine asked.

"Yes." Claire said as she picked a leaf up from the ground beside her and used it as a book mark laying her book to the side.

"Most days." Katherine answered, her deep brown eyes locking with Claire's blue eyes.

"I think it's wrong of you to toy with them." Claire admitted.

Katherine laughed, still amazed at Claire's comfortableness around her.

"I'm not denying that it's wrong, but it's fun." Katherine admitted.

"You're selfish." Claire accused.

"So are you, Claire Worthington." Katherine responded.

"I am not." She argued.

"Aren't you? You broke poor Damon's heart, so you could stay here and live in your family's wealth instead of being disowned." Katherine said.

"Those weren't my reasons." Claire said.

"You can't fool me." Katherine responded.

Claire shook her head angrily, Katherine had it all wrong. She had stayed to protect her younger siblings from their father's drunken beatings.

"He still talks about you, quite incessantly. To the point of annoyance… I think that's why I favor Stefan." Katherine explained.

"You favor Stefan?" Claire asked, surprised.

"Of course, Damon's heart still partially belongs to you. Stefan on the other hand… I was his first… everything." Katherine said, no shame in her voice.

"Have a good day, Katherine." Claire said as she stood and picked her book up. Her cheeks turning pink from Katherine's forwardness.

"Did I offend you, jezebel?" Katherine questioned.

"Stop calling me that!" Claire yelled as she turned and faced Katherine who was now standing in front of her.

"Why? That is the term these days isn't it? You're unwed and yet Damon had you again and again… and again." Katherine taunted.

Claire's eyes narrowed in anger at her.

"You need to make up your mind, either you will be nice to me and we will remain friends. Or you can continue your unwarranted taunts and I will have nothing to do with you." Claire told her.

"There's no one out here to hear us." Katherine pointed out.

Sighing Claire turned and started to walk away.

"It's not Damon…" Katherine called after her.

"What are you talking about? I do not understand you." Claire told her.

"Just so you're aware, it's not Damon airing your lack of discretions. It's that brother of yours." Katherine told her.

"Luke?" Claire gasped.

Katherine nodded.

"He won't tell anyone else though, I took care of him." Katherine said.

"You killed him?" She gasped.

"No, I compelled him to stop spreading your personal life around town. No harm done." Katherine said.

"Why? Why would you do that for me?" Claire asked confused.

"Because Claire, we are best friends." Katherine said, a sinister smile slowly spreading over her lips.

Claire nodded.

Walking up Katherine looped her arm through Claire's, "Let's go into town, visit the market." She said.

"Alright." Claire agreed, managing a small smile at her new friend as they headed out of the woods.

**((_Present Day_))**

Claire sat at a table in the Mystic Fall's Grill, and looked down to the food in front of her. It had been a few days since she had found out Damon and Stefan were alive; a few days since she found out everyone had known and not told her.

"Claire." A voice said.

She looked up to see Tyler as he smiled and headed towards her table.

"Good afternoon." She said, weakly managing a smile.

Ever since she had compelled Tyler to stop having romantic feelings for her, he had been nice and friendly with her.

"Are you alright?" He asked as he sat down across from her.

"I've had a rough few days." She admitted.

"What's been going on?" He asked.

"What do you know about Damon Salvatore?" Claire asked.

"Uhh, not a lot. The guys a real creep." Tyler said with a look of indifference on his face.

Claire frowned and nodded.

"Are you going to the Founder's Day event?" He asked her.

"I'm not sure… Anna mentioned something to me about it. But I don't know if I'm feeling well enough for a community event." She answered honestly.

A little while later she looked up and saw Elena looking at her.

"I need to be on my way. Have a good rest of your day." She said as she slid off her chair and out the back door of the grill.

Elena made her way over to the table where Tyler was still sitting.

"Hey, who was that?" Elena asked him.

"Claire Worthington… she's new in town." Tyler informed her.

"I need to talk to her, do you know where she lives?" Elena asked.

Tyler gave her the address and Elena left.

It was close to an hour later that Claire was sitting in her room reading a book when she heard a knock at the door.

She got downstairs just as her aunt opened the door.

"Katherine?" Judith gasped.

"That isn't Katherine." Claire said as she joined her aunt at the door.

"Hello Elena." Claire greeted.

"Can we talk?" Elena asked her.

"She looks just like Katherine." Judith observed again.

"I know." Claire said a she nodded for Elena to come inside.

Elena looked at Judith as she walked into the house.

"We can speak in my room." Claire said as she turned and started back up the stairs.

Elena walked in and looked around the large room.

There was a t.v on a table at the foot or her bed, a desk with a laptop, and stereo and the rest of the room had books laying everywhere.

"Wow. You really like to read…" Elena observed.

Claire nodded, "I've always loved to read."

Elena picked up a college trigonometry book from the desk.

"You read math books?" Elena asked, confused.

"I am trying to prepare for a career in today's world; I spent all last Sunday in a bookstore on the local college campus. I must admit, it was intimidating at first… but my aunt's boyfriend teaches math there and he's helped me tremendously." Claire said.

Elena laid the book back down, surprised at Claire.

"What are you doing here, Elena?" Claire asked, her voice soft as she scooted some books from the bed onto the floor at sat down.

"I wanted to thank you… for saving my life. For saving Stefan's life." Elena explained.

"You're welcome." Claire responded politely.

"I understand you and Stefan used to be friends?" Elena continued to ask.

"Yes, both of our families were founding family's… I grew up with him." Claire explained.

"He said he had no idea you'd been turned." Elena went onto talk.

"He told you about me?" Claire asked, her blue eyes widened.

"Not very much… he said you didn't want Damon to know…" Elena's voice trailed off.

"He's correct." Claire said as she walked over to her window and looked out.

"You seem like a very kind person." Claire said, looking at Elena.

Elena smiled, "So do you."

Claire scoffed, "I am not a person… not anymore. I'm a monster, a murderous monster."

Elena shifted uncomfortably.

"I killed 3 vampires yesterday." She explained.

"Because you were trying to help us." Elena said.

"I've never killed anything in my entire existence." Claire told her.

"You feel guilt…" Elena said.

"I feel everything, Elena." Claire said.

"You had to kill them. You were trying to help us." Elena offered some comfort.

"Is that how you justify death? Murder, it's senseless… needless. I tried to warn the first vampire that came after me. He didn't listen… I didn't even know I had it in me to kill. To be honest, I thought I had met my end." Claire said.

Elena looked at her with sad eyes.

"You remind me a lot of Stefan. He doesn't like death either… he feeds from animals to stay alive." She told her.

"Really? I questioned my aunt about doing that. But she told me I needed human blood to stay at my strongest." Claire explained.

"I've read about a lot of recent animal attacks starting months and months ago… I just assumed when I found out they had been turned it was them." Claire said.

Elena avoided her eyes.

"Damon?" Claire questioned.

Elena nodded.

Claire shook her head and looked back out the window at the evening sun.

"All of those human lives… all of the carnage and suffering… it's all him?" Claire asked.

"He's been sticking to blood bags lately… I think. That's what Stefan says at least." Elena said.

"It doesn't sound like him at all. Not the Damon I knew." Claire said, sighing.

"Really? I can't really see him any differently…" Elena said.

Claire was silent as she rubbed her palms over the fabric of her jeans.

"Can I ask what happened with you and Damon?" Elena asked her.

Claire looked down smiling at the memories.

"I knew Damon for as long as I'd known Stefan, but I didn't really start to talk to Damon until I was about 13… almost 14. He was unlike any other person I'd met before, and pretty soon we were inseparable." Claire said.

Elena gave her a soft smile.

"Things were… amazing. We fell in love, and wanted to spend every single second we could together. And then, right after I'd turned 15 my father and his father got into a dispute. I don't even recall what it was about. My father told me I wasn't to see Damon anymore. But I loved him so much, I went against my father's wishes… rebelled and started lying and sneaking off with him." Claire said.

"Which I'm guessing was pretty frowned on back then?" Elena questioned.

Claire nodded.

"My family knew I was still seeing him, but it didn't cause extreme tension until…" Her voice trailed off and her cheeks took on a very, very light pinkish tint.

"Until what?" Elena asked.

"I had a brother, Luke. Just a few years my junior… it's not very nice to say, but he wasn't the smartest. He was the only son, and my father was very hard on him… ashamed he would be the one responsible for carrying on the Worthington name. It was important to have a son to carry on the family name back then." Claire explained.

Elena nodded, and patiently waited for her to continue.

"Luke became… obsessed with finding ways to get me in trouble. I was the favored child, the oldest." Claire's eyes grew sad as she remembered back.

"So what happened?" Elena asked,

"Back in the 1860's, premarital relations were almost unheard of… especially for respectable ladies. But, I loved him so much…" Claire said, avoiding  
Elena's eyes as she felt shame over her past.

"I'm not judging you." Elena said taking a few steps closer.

"Everyone else did." Claire said.

Taking a deep breath she continued her story, "We were very careful to cover our tracks… but you know, being young and in love… you get swept away in the moment."

"One night, we met in my family's barn… he brought me a book he had picked up when he was in another town. And, we knew it was risky to…" Her voice trailed off.

"But, it was late at night… my family was all in bed asleep. So we spent most of the night together, turned out Luke had heard me sneaking down the wooden stairs in our house. He followed me… saw me with Damon." Claire said.

Elena's eyes grew sadder as she saw Claire getting more upset as she spoke.

"He knew if he told my father, that I'd be the disgrace of the family and not him. So he told my parents. I was turning 16 in a few weeks and that was a common age to be married off. And who would want a sinner for a wife?" Claire said.

"And Damon wouldn't marry you?" Elena asked, trying to piece it together.

"He wanted to. I wanted to. But with our family's still fighting, my father gave me an ultimatum. Break things off with Damon and never speak to him again, or face the shame of what I had done and be banished from the town with nothing but the clothes on my back." She continued the painful story.

"And you chose to stay home, and leave Damon?" Elena asked.

"Yes… after my father called me a whore and slapped me across my face." Claire said.

"Oh my god… that's terrible." Elena replied, her voice barely over a whisper.

"Damon offered to run away with me. But I had 2 younger sisters; they were 8 and 12 at the time. If I had left, father would have turned his drunken beatings on one of them. I couldn't leave them… they were my sisters. I had to stay to protect them." She said, a few tears stinging her eyes.

"Protect them? Meaning… taking the beatings for them?" Elena questioned.

"Times were different back then… there wasn't child protective services like today. The Worthington's were the most prominent family in town, even if I had went to someone for help… no one would have dared stood up to him. I was trapped." Claire said, wiping her cheeks.

"I can't even imagine…" Elena said, feeling tears stinging her dark brown eyes.

"Why did Katherine turn you?" Elena asked after the room stayed silent.

"We were best friends." Claire explained.

"But wasn't she with Stefan and Damon?" Elena asked.

Claire nodded, "It's difficult to understand our friendship, but she intended to keep me with her forever. We were the best of friends."

* * *

_**A/N- Thank you so much for reading!**_

_**I have a few other Vampire Dairies stories on my account, including the newest one 'Fire and Ice' that I'm working on with my dear friend Miss E Charlotte, please take the time to read and let us me know what you think.**_

_**My longest Vampire Diaries story is 'Your Lips, Your Lies, Your Lust' - a Damon/OC fic.**_

**Please take a few moments to leave me a review and let me know if you enjoyed the chapter and are still reading. I appreciate your reviews so much, and it truly was all of your kind words that got me back into this story. So please let me know if you are still reading. ^_^**


	5. Founding Families

**Chapter Five – Founding Families –**

* * *

After the council meeting where John Gilbert returned to town and alerted the council of recent blood bank robberies Damon was talking to Carol Lockwood.

"Well, it seems like a lot of the founding families are coming back into town recently." Carol observed.

"Who all are you talking about?" Damon questioned.

He's still been wondering which tomb vampire would have helped save Stefan, but then disappear into a blur when he showed up.

"Well, there's you of course, and John Gilbert has returned… and Richard tells me there's a Worthington in town." Carol said.

Damon looked at her, "Worthington? I haven't heard that name in…" His voice trailed off as he thought back to the 1860's and the time he had spent with Claire.

Carol nodded in agreement that there hadn't been a Worthington in Mystic Falls for years.

"Which Worthington?" Damon asked.

"I'm not sure, I didn't meet her. But Richard did." Carol said, before she waved to another council member and said, "Excuse me, Damon." As she walked off to meet them.

Damon thought back, Claire had fled the town when her father had tried to force her into a marriage.

After he had been turned, he looked for her but was never able to find her. He had long ago accepted that she was dead.

The next day, Judith was sitting in a booth at the Grill across from Brian as they ate their dinner.

She excused herself from the table and headed up to the bar to get a drink. As she waited for the bar tender to finish with another customer; Damon drank down the last of his glass and looked down the bar, his eyes stopping on a familiar face.

Sliding off the chair and down the row of seats he slid into the chair next to where Judith was standing.

"Judith Worthington… wow, you're looking good for being… god, how old?" Damon questioned with a smirk.

Taking a deep breath and sighing she looked over at him, "Damon Salvatore… a face I could go a few more centuries without seeing."

"I'm hurt, Judith." He said.

"Damon, I've heard quite a few stories about you over the years. Stefan too… except I suppose ripper is a more correct name for him. Wherever you go death follows." Judith accused.

"I heard there was a Worthington in town… hoping it wasn't you." He responded.

Playing it off, Judith looked him right in the eyes and said, "Who else would it possibly be? I'm the only one left. Well, other than my brother's descendants but last I heard they all relocated up north."

Damon looked at her, but her face revealed no signs of her lie.

"See you around." Damon said.

"I sincerely hope not. Like I said, I've heard all about you and all of the carnage you leave in your wake. I do not want to associate with anyone like you. I have a life here, and a boyfriend… I don't want to see the town destroyed by the likes of you and that brother of yours." Judith said, her words cold as she picked up her drink and headed back to her table.

Damon watched as she took her seat across from Brian.

**~(A few days later)~**

Claire was sitting in the living room of her house reading a book when there was a knock on the door.

Opening the door she looked at Elena.

"Good morning, Elena." Claire greeted.

"Can we talk again?" Elena asked.

Claire stepped to the side and allowed her to come in.

Claire led them into the kitchen, and got her a can of soda from the refrigerator.

"Thank you." Elena said as she opened it and took a drink.

"You're welcome. What do you wish to speak to me about?" Claire asked.

"I know that you're a friend of Stefan's, and right now I really need some help with him. He had to drink my blood to heal so he could fight Fredrick, but now he's not acting at all like himself. He's having a lot of trouble trying to get back on his animal diet. I'm just… I'm so worried about him." Elena explained.

"I'm sorry to hear of that, but I do not understand how you think I can help you. Stefan and I were great friends… once. But things are different now, he has killed people… I've heard plenty of stories." Claire said her blue eyes sad.

"He's not bad, he's not a bad person. He's struggling so hard to do the right thing." Elena defended.

"I can sympathize with that struggle." Claire said, avoiding Elena's eyes.

"There's a founders event tonight at town hall. It's semi-formal, kind of a kick-start to founder's day. Stefan and I are going to be there. I was hoping maybe you would come and just help me keep an eye on him." Elena asked.

Claire's eyes widened.

"Oh I don't think that will be possible, I'm sorry for the inconvenience." Claire politely apologized.

Elena raised an eyebrow.

"Semi-formal… meaning we get to dress up, there's dancing and it's fun." Elena said.

"Dress up?" Claire questioned.

Elena nodded.

"Well… I did attend a party a few weeks ago with Anna. But it wasn't a formal party… it was a teen party, very unruly. But I have grasped the concept of what today's youth calls, dancing." Claire said.

"What we call dancing?" Elena questioned.

"Yes. It isn't dancing… it's jumping around with some slightly inappropriate grinding." Claire said.

Elena laughed and gave her a friendly smile.

"I asked Damon if he was going the party and he said no. So I really don't think there'd be a chance of running into him, if that's what you were worried about." Elena offered.

"I suppose it might be nice to attend a community event, get to meet more of the townspeople. See if they are anything like their ancestors." Claire said.

Elena smiled and nodded, "Thank you."

"Stefan and I are meeting at the party; do you want a ride there?" Elena asked.

"Please, I haven't entirely learned all of the maneuvers of steering a vehicle… sorry, a car. Anna says they call them car now days even though a more correct term is automobile." Claire said.

Elena nodded, "You know Claire, I think it really might do you some good to be around more young people from now days… might help you learn the language so you can fit in a little better.

Claire nodded excitedly.

"I have a few things I need to pick up for my outfit and then I'll be back tonight to get you." Elena said as she stood from the table.

"Wait… would you mind if I accompanied you on your shopping expedition? I don't really have anything to wear myself and may require some assistance picking the appropriate attire." Claire said.

Elena agreed and the two girls set off on their shopping trip.

Later that night Claire stood in front of the mirror in her room. She was wearing a light purple dress, with gathered fabric at the bust and the lower half of the dress had flowing lace.

She pulled on a short sleeved, darker purple shrug with pink glitter and topped her outfit off with a pair of light pink suede, peep-toe high heels.

Her hair was down and Elena had helped her straighten the natural waves out; she had one side pinned back with a light pink flower clip.

"We should probably get going." Elena said as she came out of the bathroom and pulled on a velvet black shrug over her down brown dress.

"You look beautiful, Elena." Claire said smiling a beaming smile at her new friend.

"So do you." Elena said motioning a hand towards her.

Claire looked down to her butterfly necklace and her pink butterfly ring on her finger.

"It's amazing the amount of… costume jewelry available today." Claire said with a smile as she followed Elena down the stairs in her house and out the door to her car.

Once they arrived at town hall, Claire went with Elena inside.

"It's beautiful." Claire observed looking around.

Elena looked for Stefan.

"The music is nice." Claire said at the soft classical piano music playing.

"The music sucks." Elena said, raising an eyebrow.

"Right… the music sucks." Claire repeated with a nod.

"There he is." Elena said as Stefan waved to her.

"Hey." Elena said smiling as they approached him.

"Hey, how are you?" He asked and then looked at Claire.

"How do you two know each other?" Stefan asked.

"Good evening Stefan." Claire said nodding politely.

"Good evening." He responded smiling at her.

"We've been talking quite a bit." Claire said smiling to Elena.

Stefan looked back and forth between them.

"You tracked her down?" Stefan asked Elena.

"She saved our lives… and you wouldn't tell me what happened with her and Damon." Elena admitted.

Stefan smiled and let out a small laugh, his words slurred as he said "I guess it's not surprising… you two are a lot alike."

"Are you drunk?" Elena asked, as Stefan leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek, and noticed his slurred speech.

"Okay… I know it's a little weird, but it's really helping me. Helps curb the cravings." Stefan admitted.

Claire looked at him inquisitively.

"Does alcohol subdue the cravings?" She questioned.

"Takes the edge off…" Stefan said.

"Hmm…" Claire thought out loud.

"How worried do I need to be?" Elena asked him.

"Oh no. You don't need to be worried. It's just until the cravings go away…" Stefan said.

Claire leaned in and looked at him, only inches away from his face.

Stefan raised his eyebrows, "Hello again, Claire."

"I do not believe he's alright." Claire decided and announced to Elena.

"I'm fine. You haven't even seen me in over a century…" Stefan reminded her.

"I don't believe that you are fine. I think you're trying to pretend your fine, but it's an act." Claire said.

"Wow… you really know how to be the life of the party." Stefan said, irritated as he looked at her.

She raised her eyebrows at him, not understanding the sarcasm.

Looking back at Elena he said, "Let's just enjoy this while it lasts. Would you… like to dance with me?"

"I normally have to beg you to dance." Elena pointed out.

"No, you have to beg the sober me. The drunk me, there's no begging necessary." Stefan said.

"There's no one else dancing." Claire observed.

"That's because they need something better to dance to." Stefan said.

Claire nodded looking to Elena as she said, "This music sucks."

Elena nodded and laughed.

Elena started talking to Matt's mom and Claire wandered out on the dance floor as the music changed to more upbeat tunes.

Claire swayed back and forth on the floor until an arm wrapped around her.

She turned and saw Stefan.

Smiling she started dance with him. "Elena is lovely." Claire said to him.

Stefan looked over at Elena and smiled, "She is."

"She's entirely different from Katherine, even though they look identical." Claire continued.

"She's selfless and kind… she's nothing like Katherine." Stefan told her.

"You truly love her then?" Claire questioned.

"Yeah." Stefan admitted.

Claire smiled and looked back to where Elena was standing.

"She's worried about you… apparently you've broken your animal diet." Claire asked, watching his face closely.

"I've got it under control." Stefan said.

"I hope so. There is still good in you, Stefan. I can see it." Claire offered with a hopeful smile.

"I thought you were dead… I mourned your loss." Stefan told her.

Claire glanced down to the wooden floor.

"While I was locked the tomb, I didn't know how long I'd been down there… there was no way to tell time. Just endless agony. I mourned your death, and Damon's. I thought you both were human and had passed away." Claire said.

They were silent and Claire followed Stefan over as he got another drink.

"Thank you for keeping the secret of my being alive. Elena tells me you wouldn't even disclose much information to her regarding me." Claire said.

"Wasn't really my place to tell her anything… I should have known she'd find you." Stefan said.

"What did you tell her?" Stefan asked, as he drank half of his glass in one swallow.

"Everything." Claire responded.

Stefan nodded as he finished the glass.

"I think you should slow down…" Claire said as he reached for another glass.

"One more." Stefan said his voice slurred.

"Well, I'm going to look around. Have a nice evening with Elena." Claire said with a friendly smile as she went to walk past him.

Stefan grabbed her arm and stopped her, "I don't know for sure… Damon said he wasn't going to come tonight, but he was starting to dress up before I left…"

Claire took a deep breath and nodded, "Thank you for the warning."

Claire made her way up the stairs and was walking past an open door leading out to the balcony.

She heard Damon say, "But you probably ingest vervain…"

She looked out onto the balcony to see Damon talking to Elena's uncle John, but she didn't know who he was.

Her heart stopped as she saw Damon. She knew he was alive, but hearing it and actually seeing him again was completely different.

"Why don't you take a bite and see." John Gilbert said smugly.

"Not worth my time." Damon said as he started to walk away.

Taking a deep breath of the night air flowing in through the open door, Claire was preparing herself to talk to Damon.

But she looked back up just in time to see him snap John's neck and throw him off the balcony.

She gasped. Not knowing the situation or who John Gilbert was it just seemed like an unwarranted and senseless act of violence.

Her aunt had told her how bad Stefan had become, but she could still see his humanity in him. She knew he truly didn't want to cause pain and suffering.

On that realization, she had started to wonder if the rumors that surrounded Damon were also false. But she couldn't deny what she had seen.

She gasped as he threw him over the balcony.

Damon quickly turned around realizing he been seen killing John.

All he saw was Claire's back, and her long blonde hair as she quickly walked away.

"Damn it." He muttered as he quickly made his way back into the party.

He could have ran and easily caught up with her, but then he'd draw suspicion to himself with his lightning fast speed.

"Hey… wait a minute." He called after her.

Claire wiped the tears that had started to fall down her face, as she lowered her head and picked up speed. Careful not to move faster than the average human would be able to.

"Hey!" Damon yelled again, pushing a few people to the side that had gotten in his way.

"Blondie!" He called, as all he could see was her blonde hair.

Down on the first floor he lost her in the crowded dance floor.

Claire made her way over to Stefan, "What's wrong?" He asked her.

"Tell Elena I'm sorry for leaving so soon. I have to go." Claire said as she pushed her way past him.

Damon saw only her back again as she said bye to Stefan and made it out the front door.

Damon quickly followed but Stefan got in his way.

"Hey, where are you going?" Stefan asked him.

Damon pushed his brother out of the way, but by the time he made it outside she was gone.

Stefan had followed him outside.

"Who was that?" Damon demanded to know.

"A friend." Stefan said, his words still a little slurred.

"A vampire friend that I don't know about?" Damon asked, confused as to what Stefan could be hiding from him.

"It's not important." Stefan said.

"So that's not the same blonde blur that flew past me in the basement when the tomb vampires got you?" Damon asked.

"It's the same one… but you don't know her." Stefan argued.

"Then introduce us." Damon said.

"Why?" Stefan asked.

"Most of the other tomb vampires are gone. Disappearances have gone up, along with several local blood banks completely cleared out. She's drawing unneeded attention. Attention that could be very dangerous for us." Damon explained his reasoning.

"It's not her." Stefan said, his tone confident.

"How can you be so sure?" Damon asked.

"I just am. I know her, it has to be someone else." Stefan continued to defend her.

"You know her? She was locked in a tomb for 146 years! How well can you really know her?" Damon asked.

"Maybe she wasn't even in the tomb, I've met people over the years Damon." Stefan said, not wanting to tell him about Claire.

Stefan turned around to go inside.

"So she wasn't in the tomb?" Damon asked.

"No, she wasn't. She's a friend of mine." Stefan lied about her being locked in the tomb.

"What are you hiding little brother?" Damon asked him.

"I'm not hiding anything, if I think she's becoming a danger to us or anyone… then I'll let you know." Stefan said before he headed back into the dance

_**((_1864- Mystic Falls, Virginia_))**_

The heels of Claire's shoes lightly tapped on the wooden stairs in her house as she descended in the dark, 2 bags of her belongings in her hands.

She wanted to stop and say goodbye to her young sisters, but it was too painful. So she'd left the note for her family to find and went to the woods like Katherine had instructed her.

"It's a beautiful night." Katherine said as she emerged from the shadows at the edge of the woods.

Claire looked up to the sky.

"Why would you do this to me? I don't want to be a vampire… you're supposed to be my best friend." Claire said, tears burning her eyes.

"We are the best of friends, that's why I gave you this gift. Eternal life, eternal beauty… eternal youth. We can remain friends, as we are until the end of time Miss Worthington." Katherine said with a slight sinister smile.

"You've damned me." Claire said.

Katherine led Claire to a small dirt road that led into a nearby town.

There was a horse drawn carriage waiting there, a man loaded Claire's bags into the carriage.

"Come." Katherine said, extending her hand.

Claire took a few steps closer, sadness still showing in her eyes as she took Katherine's hand and she led her into the woods.

There was a man standing perfectly still, staring straight ahead; Katherine had compelled him not to move.

"What is this?" Claire questioned.

"A gift… you're starving aren't you?" Katherine asked.

"No." Claire lied, but she could hear his beating heart.

"No?" Katherine asked as she walked in a slow circle around Claire.

"You have to feed." Katherine said.

"I am aware of the actions to complete my transition…" Claire said.

"Don't tell me you're going to let yourself die. You are 16 years old Claire." Katherine said.

"And I'm told wise beyond my years." Claire retorted.

"What kind of best friend would I be if let you die?" Katherine asked as she trailed a finger across the bottom of Claire's chin.

"A respectful and understanding friend." Claire said, her tone polite even though her gums were aching and burning for blood.

"Perhaps. But I am a selfish and cold-hearted friend." Katherine said as she walked over to the man and sank her teeth into his neck.

"No!" Claire yelled.

Pulling back Katherine took a moment to appreciate the euphoric feeling that rushed over her as her own bloodlust was temporarily sated.

Claire's face changed and her breathing hastened, she felt her teeth change; she had never smelt anything so amazing as the smell of the blood steadily seeping from the fresh bite mark.

"Join me." Katherine said, extending a hand to her friend.

Claire shook her head back and forth, covering her nose and mouth with one hand but it was useless, she could still strongly smell his blood.

"You're truly not going to feed?" Katherine asked.

"I will not feed from a human being… drink from their flesh, never." Claire said, her voice strong as her gums and teeth still ached for blood.

"You will not drink from their flesh?" Katherine questioned.

"Never, Miss Peirce." Claire replied, her blue eyes bore into Katherine's dark eyes.

Sighing loudly Katherine wiped the blood off her mouth and ran from the woods.

Claire fell back against the tree, fighting the bloodlust and intense hunger.

Moments later Katherine reappeared with a glass goblet. Grabbing the man by his hair and pulling him sideways, Katherine let the goblet fill with blood.

"For you, my best and truest friend." Katherine said as she walked over and handed Claire the goblet.

Claire took it and sat it down on the ground beside her.

"What are you doing; drink it!" Katherine demanded.

"I will once it cools down." Claire said.

"Cools down?" Katherine questioned.

"You've told me the most euphoric feeling in your entire existence is feeding directly from the source. The warm blood rushing into your mouth; I do not want to enjoy the blood, I wish to only use it to survive I will only feed when it is absolutely necessary." Claire informed her.

Katherine kept her eyes on her friend as she returned to the man and sank her teeth back into his neck.

Tears ran down Claire's pale, porcelain cheeks as she watched the man's eyes grow week, and his life slip away at the hands of her best friend.

After Katherine had consumed all the blood she could from him, she let his body fall to the cold ground.

"Drink Claire." Katherine commanded, her voice now had a slight growl to it as she was still on a high from the fresh blood.

When Claire didn't move. Katherine picked the goblet up and handed it to her.

"Drink. I need to get you out of town tonight." Katherine explained.

Claire pinned her lips shut and shook her head franticly back and forth.

Reaching forward Katherine took a large handful of Claire's soft, full, light blonde hair and pulled upwards on the roots.

Claire gasped in pain, her eyes locking with Katherine's.

"Drink." Katherine ordered waving the blood filled glass under Claire's nose.

Claire tried to fight the feelings running through her, but she was so hungry.

Her face changed and her teeth and gums ached again.

As she took the goblet from Katherine, she let go of her hair.

Claire took one more deep breath, in shock at how good the blood smelt.

Katherine watched with a satisfied look on her face as Claire raised the glass, hungrily drinking down every last drop.

Katherine excitedly clapped her hands as the consumption of human blood completed her transition into a vampire.

* * *

**A/N- Thank you for reading. I really hope you all enjoyed the chapter! I have a few other Vampire Diaries stories, and several Supernatural stories up on my page. ^_^ Including a colab 'Fire and Ice' that I'm currently working on with my good friend Miss E Charlotte. Please check it out and let us know what you think.**

**Please take a few moments to leave a review and let me know you're still reading and enjoying the story. I appreciate your kind words and support so much. You guys are truly my inspiration and the reason I continue to write and update on here.**


	6. On the Hunt

**Chapter Six – On the Hunt –**

* * *

_**((_1864- Mystic Falls, Virginia – continued flashback from chapter 5_))**_

"Delicious… isn't it?" Katherine questioned as Claire finally lowered the goblet from her lips.

Claire wiped her mouth on the back of her hand and looked down at the crimson smear on her pale skin.

"I never wanted this." Claire said, as she dropped the glass goblet to the ground disgusted with herself at how much she enjoyed the blood and how she was craving more and more of it.

Katherine stepped forward and looped her arm through Claire's "It will all be okay, you'll see." She said as she led her friend back through woods to where the horse drawn carriage was still waiting.

Claire's entire body tensed up as she could hear the heartbeat of the man and the 2 horses.

Katherine grabbed her arm, "Careful Claire… don't kill him. Well, at least not until he gets your to your house."

"My family…" Claire said looking to Katherine.

"I am your family now." Katherine said as the man helped Claire into the carriage and went to take his seat at the front to control the horses.

"You're not coming?" Claire asked looking out of the carriage door her eyes wide with fear.

"I have a few more things I need to take care of in Mystic Falls. I will meet back up with you before the end of the week." Katherine promised.

"Okay." Claire said nodding as she nervously rubbed her hands together.

"One last thing." Katherine said.

"Yes?" Claire questioned.

"Do not come back to Mystic Falls, they will start the vampire eradication any day now. I've made precautions and a plan for myself… you have to stay away from town. It's far too dangerous for you return during these times." Katherine warned her.

Claire nodded, and Katherine shut the door to the carriage and took a few steps back as the carriage started it's nighttime journey to a nearby town.

The man pulled to a stop in front of a very large farmhouse on the outskirts of the next town.

He helped Claire down from the carriage and then turned around to head back to Mystic Falls.

Claire picked up her bags and started up the stairs to the porch.

Raising her hand she knocked on the door, holding her breath as Katherine had told her nothing of what was to be expected.

A kind older woman opened the door.

"Hello." Claire greeted, her eyes wide with fear as she could hear her steadily beating heart and remembered how good the blood had tasted earlier that night.

"You must be Claire. You're a friend of Katherine Peirce, right dear?" She asked.

Claire's eyes kept going to the side of her neck, to her carotid artery. She could swear she could see her pulse and the blood flowing under her skin.

Claire's teeth and gums ached like they had earlier that night, she wanted to rip into the woman's throat and drain her blood from her body.

"Katherine has told me all about you. Come inside, dear." The woman said standing to the side.

Claire surveyed the doorway before stepping inside.

"What has Miss Peirce told you about me?" Claire asked.

"That you needed a place to stay, until the end of the week when she has made arrangements for you both to head north." The woman said.

"I'll show you to your room." The woman said as she led her up the stairs.

It was obvious to Claire that the woman was under compulsion.

She followed her as the woman showed her a nice sized room, a few candles sat on the dresser to illuminate the room in the darkness.

"It's lovely. Thank you very much." Claire said politely as she sat her bags down beside the bed.

"Have a nice night." The woman said as she left the room.

Claire sat down on the side of the bed, her head hurt. She could hear the woman breathing down stairs, horses naying in a stable down the street.

It was close to an hour later that there was a knock on her door.

"Come in." Claire said, looking to the shut door.

Slowly the handle turned and the door opened.

A young man walked in, only a few years older than Claire.

"Miss Worthington, I presume?" He questioned with a warm smile.

"Yes." She replied as she stood and smoothed her dress over her constricting corset.

"I'm Oliver Herman, a friend of Katherine's." He introduced himself.

"It is very nice to meet you Oliver, but regretfully I do not feel well enough for company this evening." Claire said.

"I understand Miss Worthington. But Miss Peirce informed us you'd be very hungry when you got into town." He said.

Claire swallowed hard.

He stepped closer and she could better see his masculine facial features and strong jawline.

She thought to herself of how he really resembled Stefan.

He rolled the sleeve of his white button up shirt up to reveal a healing bite mark on his wrist.

Claire gasped and covered her mouth at the hunger she was feeling, she felt entirely famished. And ashamed of herself, she didn't just want to drink his blood… she wanted to tear him apart. Rip the flesh from his bones and do the same to everyone who came after him.

"It's okay, it's not very painful…" He said, walking closer.

"Who bit you? Katherine?" Claire asked.

He nodded.

"How well do you know her?" Claire asked.

The man smiled widely as he spoke, "I love her."

Claire tried to calm her nerves and bloodlust, every man Katherine came in contact with fell victim to her charms.

"I am not hungry at this moment in time." Claire said.

"But you must drink." Oliver said as he approached her.

"I will not. Please just leave me to myself tonight… I am in mourning." Claire said.

"In mourning?" He questioned.

"Yes, in mourning of my old life. Of who and what I used to be… human." Claire breathed out.

"But life is so much better being what you are now. When Katherine comes to retrieve you, she's promised to turn me." Oliver said.

"You're a fool." Claire breathed out as she sat down on the side of the bed.

"Please, I'd feel better if you drank…" Oliver said now right in front of her with his wrist only inches away from her mouth.

Her face changed and her teeth burned for his blood.

"No! Please leave me alone! I am not well!" Claire begged jumping back away from him.

"If you change your mind, my sleeping quarters are just the down the hall; 2nd door on the right." He said as he let himself out of the room.

Claire quickly got into one of her suitcases and took out one of the bottles of vervain elixir her father had given her over a week ago.

Disgusted with herself and everything she was, she removed the lid and drank some of the bottle down.

Gasping and coughing, she cried out in agony as she fell to the floor and her body started convulsing from the vervain.

She had packed all the vervain she had in her possession to incapacitate herself if the cravings and bloodlust became too difficult to beat.

Weakly she put the lid back on the bottle and managed to pull her body into the bed. She laid the bottle of elixir on the pillow beside her, and hugged her arms around herself, as she cried herself to sleep.

**((_Present Day_))**

Claire stood in her room, she was wearing a pair of jeans and a tight blue athletic tank top.

She had on a pair of dark grey and pink Nike brand shoes, and she pulled on her purple and pink zip hoodie, that had a cute monster design on the front of it.

Running a brush through her blonde hair, she pulled it up into a tight ponytail and then slid a light blue headband on.

Heading down the stairs she walked into the kitchen.

Judith looked at her niece's choice of clothes.

"Going for a run… or something?" She asked, as she drank from her glass of blood.

"Good! That's the look I was aiming for… I modeled this outfit after a look in a magazine, the clothes don't match exactly…but they are similar." Claire explained.

"Why are you going for a run?" Judith asked.

"I'm not really going for a run, that is just my story in case I run into someone. I am going to the woods." Claire said.

"Why?" Judith asked her niece.

"I'm going to feed from animals instead of blood bags." Claire said, feeling accomplished at making the decision.

"No Claire. You need human blood to remain at your strongest and so you can control the cravings… you need to get it all under control before you try to pick up some radical blood diet." Judith said.

"It is my decision." Claire said.

"Maybe wait until tomorrow? The Miss Mystic falls pageant is tonight, and it will probably run late… if you're in the woods it'll be near where they're holding it. Meaning… you've not fed all day. There will be humans…" Judith continued.

"I will be fine, I haven't even drank blood directly from the source and I never will." Claire confided.

"You've never drank from a person?" Judith asked shocked.

"Never… even when I was first turned Katherine put the blood in a goblet… I refused to drink from a human being." Claire admitted.

Before Judith could protest again, Claire headed out the front door.

Claire jogged through the town until she reached the woods.

She took out her phone to check the time and saw that she had a missed call from Elena a few hours earlier in the day that she had missed.

"_Claire… it's Elena. I'm sorry to call and bug you… I know it couldn't have been easy to see Damon at the founders day kick-off. I'm really sorry, if I had known he was going to be there I would have never asked you to go. I'm in the running for Miss Mystic Falls, and Damon and Stefan are both here. Stefan is still drinking human blood and he's been lying about it to me. Please just call me back when you can, I really need help and I… I don't have anyone else_." Elena's message revealed the sadness and desperation in her voice. Bonnie still wasn't really speaking to her, and she felt alone.

Claire silently cursed herself for how much she had grown to like Elena in the short time he had known her.

Calling her back Claire waited until it went to voicemail, Judith had been trying to show her how to leave correct voicemails.

Claire took a deep breath and waited for the tone, _"Elena Gilbert, this is Claire Worthington. I have received your message in it's entirety. I am very sorry to hear of Stefan's continued downfall. I give you my word that I will do all I can to help you… as long as it does not involve my having to see Damon Salvatore again. I am now heading to… eat. And then I will be back home at my aunt's house. Feel free to call or stop by whenever you can. Good luck in running for Miss Mystic Falls… I was supposed to enter back in 1864 before… well, you know. Anyway, again this is Claire Worthington calling for Elena Gilbert in response to the message left on my cellular phone." _Claire said, and smiled at feeling like she had a left a detailed but proper message response to her friends call.

She walked in through the trees and looked around, very alert and aware of her surroundings; trying to see any movement.

She had been walking around for close to an hour when she saw a rabbit hop across the ground.

In an instant she raced after it, swooping it up in one quick moment.

"I did it!" Claire exclaimed to herself in the dark of the evening.

Taking a deep breath she held the rabbit still and placed the other hand around it's neck, she wanted to snap its neck so it would die very quickly before she fed.

But when she held onto it she felt it's breathing quicken and she couldn't do it.

"Shhh… it's okay… I'm not going to hurt you." She breathed out, her words soft as she ran her hand over the rabbits fur.

Smiling at the feeling of how velvety smooth it's fur coat was.

It was about ten minutes later that she was still petting the rabbit when she smelled blood; human blood.

She breathed in deeply again, savoring the smell and her gums and body ached for blood. She hadn't fed all day, and only a little the day before.

"Run on home." She instructed the rabbit as she gently sat the small animal back on the ground and it immediately ran off.

Closing her eyes she focused on the sounds from the woods as she heard a girl crying, "Please don't do this!"

She took off running in the direction of the fearful cries.

Her eyes widened as she saw Stefan feeding from a teenage girl.

"Stop!" Claire yelled as she charged Stefan and knocked him backwards away from the girl.

In a blind rage, and overtaken by bloodlust he didn't realize it was Claire and he picked her up and threw her a good distance away.

Her body hit a large tree trunk hard and she groaned in pain, wishing she had drank a blood bag before leaving the house.

Standing up she looked over to where Stefan was standing, she was in shock; she couldn't believe he had just thrown her.

He turned back towards the human girl who was struggling to run away still bleeding from her neck.

She charged at him again, this time she threw him a good distance away.

Claire turned towards the girl and was going to help her from the woods to safety, but her eyes went to the blood still running down her neck.

She tried not to breath in so she wouldn't smell it, but the scent was so over powering and her whole body craved it.

"Oh… god. No!" Claire told herself as she turned her back to the girl, and tried to ignore the throbbing in her gums but she could feel her face changing from the hunger.

"No, no, no." Claire said shaking her head back and forth, using every ounce of strength she had not to attack the girl and drain her.

In an instant, Stefan had her pinned to a tree growling rabidly and still not aware of the situation or who she was; all he cared about was sating his blood lust, and all he knew was she kept getting in the way.

"Stefan! Stop!" Claire said as she pushed him back.

She watched as he picked up a broken limb from one of the tress, before she had time to react, he stabbed the sharp wood into her side.

Claire fell the ground with a gasp of pain as the wood began to weaken and poison her system.

Stefan turned his attention back to the teenage girl who he had been feeding from and went after her.

She had never been stabbed with wood before, and she didn't know how intense the pain was; it was worse than she had thought comparable if not more agonizing than ingesting vervain.

She could hear the girl crying from pain and fear as Stefan resumed his feeding.

Ignoring her own pain, Claire grasped the branch still sticking out of her side and pulled it from her skin.

Dropping it beside her she stood back up, and raced towards the sounds of her cries and the scent of her blood.

Claire could hear other footsteps getting closer in the woods, but her main concern was trying to save the girl Stefan was draining.

"Stefan!" Elena yelled as she Damon and Bonnie found Stefan.

Claire charged Stefan again, knocking him down and holding him to the ground.

He growled and snarled at her, but she held him still.

"Stop it Stefan Salvatore, you have already fed. Now you're just killing her!" Claire shouted, grabbing his shoulders and slamming him back down to the ground with a loud thud.

She saw the bloodlust leave his eyes and he looked at her, aware of what was happening as he finally came back to his senses.

"Claire…" Elena said stepping closer.

Claire let Stefan go and jumped to her feet looking at Elena and the unfamiliar girl, before her gaze stopped of Damon who was intensely staring at her.

Her blue eyes widened as she stared back at him.

Stefan looked between his brother and Elena before taking off across the woods.

Claire managed to pull her eyes away from Damon's completely shocked expression, before she turned and bolted in the other direction.

She made it back to her house in no time, slamming the door behind her she realized how much the fight and being stabbed had taken out of her.

"Claire is that you? Oh! Oh my god!" Judith exclaimed as she rushed to her niece's side.

"I… got stabbed with wood. I'm weak… I need blood." Claire said, her words jumbled, as the only thing she could see in her mind was Damon's face.

Brian had heard the commotion and quickly grabbed a few blood bags from the refrigerator and handed them to her.

"Thank you." Claire breathed out as she began drinking the contents of the first bag.

Her mind was racing; she had anticipated getting out of Mystic Falls before he knew she was alive.

She wondered what he was thinking, and then she wondered if he'd even care.

From what she had been told, he didn't seem to have any of his humanity, and the thought of him not being at all like the Damon she fell in love with broke her heart all over again.

A few tears slid down her face as she finished off the second blood bag, and Judith rubbed her back as she knelt beside her on the floor.

* * *

**A/N- Thank you for reading. I really hope you all enjoyed the chapter! I have a few other Vampire Diaries stories, and several Supernatural stories up on my page, and I've recently started a few Teen Wolf stories. ^_^**

**Please take a few moments to leave a review and let me know you're still reading and enjoying the story. I appreciate your kind words and support so much. You guys are truly my inspiration and the reason I continue to write and update on here.**


	7. Being Hunted

**Chapter Seven – Being Hunted –**

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"Thank you, for helping me." Elena said as she stood in Claire's doorway.

Claire had changed into another pair of jeans and a dark pink tank top, Elena watched as she slid on a light tan jacket.

"You're a good person Elena. And if you truly believe Stefan can change from the murderous monster he is then… I will help you." Claire said as she took her hair out of the ponytail and rubbed her scalp before running a brush back through it.

"You said you could see there was still good in him." Elena said, as she looked down to her jeans and brown button up shirt she borrowed from Claire after she showed up at her house with her formal dress still on.

"I did… I do. I don't know anymore. I had started to think I was good to…" Claire continued.

"You are." Elena assured her.

"I am not… in the woods, I wanted to drink that girls blood… so bad." Claire admitted.

"But you didn't. Sherriff Forbes says she's going to make it… you saved her life Claire." Elena told her.

"It doesn't make up for my wanting to kill her." Claire admitted.

Elena looked at her with sad brown eyes. She wasn't sure what she could say to make Claire feel better.

"I can see the good in you… you seem human Claire, really genuinely human." Elena said.

"Yes, but you;Elena Gilbert you also believe that Stefan can redeem himself." Claire said her blue eyes sad.

"Let's go, before he gets the chance to hurt anyone else." Claire said as she walked past Elena down the stairs in her aunt's house.

Elena drove them to her own house; Claire followed her to the door.

"Come in." Elena invited.

Claire paused looking at the door frame before slowly walking in.

The house was empty, Jenna and Jeremy were still at the event.

"As we discussed." Claire said as she looked around Elena's room.

Elena called Stefan and Claire walked into the bathroom waiting for Stefan to show up.

"You shouldn't have called me." Stefan said as he walked into Elena's room and immediately began pacing back and forth.

"I know…" Elena said.

"Well now you know… this is me." Stefan said.

"That wasn't you." Elena argued.

"Oh it was absolutely me." Stefan replied.

Claire stood perfectly still listening to their conversation, wondering if Elena would be able to pull Stefan back from the darkness that had seemed to have taken him over.

"I'm a monster. A predator. It's who I am, Elena." Stefan said still pacing.

"No… this isn't you. That is what the blood makes you." Elena said.

"The blood only brings out what's inside of me. And if you think any differently than you're an idiot." Stefan said, trying to push Elena away.

Claire wondered if Elena believed what she was saying, or if she just couldn't accept that Stefan might not be as good as she wanted him to be.

"I wanted to drain every ounce of blood from that girl's body." Stefan said.

"But you didn't she's going to make it, you didn't kill her Stefan." Elena offered.

"Because Claire stopped me, and you know what I did to her Elena? I drove a tree branch into her side… and if I hadn't been so freaking hungry, I would have pulled it out and drove it through her heart." Stefan said, hating himself for everything.

Claire pinned her eyes shut and tried not to make a sound, she didn't want to alert Stefan that she was there.

"You can't scare me off." Elena said confidently.

Elena started to walk closer to him, Claire peeked out from the crack in the door to see them.

"Don't get any closer to me." Stefan yelled.

"I'm not going to let this happen to you." Elena said, still moving forward.

"Stop! Stop!" Stefan screamed as he slammed Elena against the wall.

Through Elena distracting him and seeing red from anger and self-hatred; he didn't hear Claire walk in the room with them.

"I'm so sorry…" Stefan breathed out, he couldn't believe he had just slammed Elena against the wall.

Claire watched the scene with sad eyes as Elena hugged Stefan.

"It's okay… it's okay." Elena soothed.

"I don't know what's happening to me…" Stefan said.

"It's okay, Stefan. It's going to be okay." Elena said, locking eyes with Clair as she pulled the vervain dart from her pocket and stuck it in his side.

It only took moments for him to fall to the floor, tranquilized from the vervain injection.

"Are you alright?" Claire asked Elena.

"I will be, once we fix him." Elena told her.

"You're sure you can carry him?" Elena questioned.

"I'm a vampire, Elena." Claire said.

Pulling her cellphone from her pocket Elena called Damon, "Damon… I found Stefan… we're in an alley behind the grill. It's bad… please hurry." Elena lied, sounding believable before hanging up the phone.

"You're sure he won't be at the house?" Claire asked.

"I'm sure." Elena said, she had called Damon to send him in the other direction.

"You're really sure you can carry him, you're just so small." Elena asked again.

"I am a vampire… a blood thirsty, super strong, lightning fast vampire. I can easily carry a body." Claire said.

Elena watched as Claire leaned down and effortlessly picked Stefan up from the carpet.

The girls moved quickly out of the house and loaded Stefan into Elena's car as she drove them to his house.

Pulling as close to the door as she could get Elena parked her car.

Claire got out and picked Stefan up as Elena got the doors for her and led her into the basement.

Claire gently set Stefan down against a wall in the cell, and then pulled the door shut locking him in the room.

"You do know there is no guarantee this will work. I know it's hard to hear, but just being a vampire… he's got the urges and the want to kill. Part of what you saw tonight is truly a part of him." Claire warned her.

"If we can just get him off the human blood…" Elena said.

"If you say so, I suppose you know him better now than I do." Claire said.

Looking back to the door of the room they had locked him into Claire finished, "As a human… he was one of the kindest and most honest people that I knew. He was a very good person, so I do sincerely hope you're right about this."

"I am… I know him." Elena said confidently.

"Do you need anything else from me?" Claire questioned.

"No, you've helped me more than enough. Thank you so much, I really don't know what I'd do without you." Elena said as she stepped forward and hugged Claire.

**(( A little while later))**

Damon made his way back up from the basement and looked at Elena as she sat on the couch.

"Want to tell me how you managed to carry my brother all the way to the basement?" Damon asked her.

"What's important is that we've got him locked up. He can get the blood out of his system and get back on his animal diet." Elena said.

"Who helped you? Claire?" Damon asked.

Elena was silent.

Damon turned and started to leave the house.

"Wait… where are you going?" Elena asked.

"To find Claire." Damon admitted.

"You can't!" Elena exclaimed.

"Actually Elena, I can do what I want. And what I want to do is find the vampire you and Stefan have been keeping a secret from me." Damon said turning as he faced her.

"Stefan was just respecting her wishes… and you should to." Elena continued.

Damon started to turn around but Elena started to talk again.

"I know her… she doesn't want to see you right now." Elena said.

"You know her?" Damon questioned a slightly amused look on his face.

"Yes, I do…" Elena said, feeling like Claire was a very good friend of hers now.

"You don't know anything Elena." Damon snapped.

"I know all about the both of you… she told me." Elena admitted to him.

"So am I really the only one in this town who didn't know she was back? Or hell, the only one who didn't even know she was turned into a vampire?" Damon asked, angrily.

"Like I said she isn't ready to see you." Elena said.

"Well, I'm ready to see her." Damon said.

"She's not like you Damon." Elena said.

Without giving him a chance to speak she said, "She is more human than Stefan."

"None of us are human." He corrected.

"She is… well, she's almost human." Elena said.

Damon shook his head back and forth, "I know better than anyone that being what she is now… she is not almost human."

"You don't understand!" Elena yelled frustrated at him.

"Well then explain it to me Elena, seeing as how you apparently know everything about this and I know nothing!" He yelled.

"Please… just leave her alone. She's a good person, and I think you should respect what she wants." Elena said as she walked past Damon out the door.

**((_A few days later_))**

"Professor Brian Sanders…" Damon said as he walked into his classroom at the local college campus after his last class of the day.

Brian looked up as he was unplugging his laptop and getting his things packed up to head home.

"What do you want?" Brian asked. Immediately recognizing him as the man at the Grill Judith didn't like.

"I want you to call your girlfriend, and have her and her niece join us here… for a little after school meeting." Damon said as he looked around the large room.

"And why would I do that?" Brian asked, as he zipped his computer case closed.

"Because it would only take me seconds to kill you." Damon said.

"I take vervain every day." Brian said.

"Good for you. But there are other ways to kill you than draining you of blood. Thanks for the warning though, now I know how I won't kill you. Still leaves plenty of other options." Damon informed him.

"Why do you want to see Judith?" Brian asked him.

"Judith? No, I don't care about Judith… it's that niece of hers." Damon said.

"Claire?" Brian asked.

"That's the one." Damon said, nodding.

"I won't help you." Brian said.

Brian went to walk past Damon but Damon grabbed him, knocking him out and let his body fall to the floor.

Finding his cellphone Damon scrolled through the numbers until he found Judith.

"Brian! Please tell me your own your way him, it's getting late we're going to miss our dinner reservations." Judith said as she answered her phone.

"I think dinner is going to have to be postponed a little longer… Brian is unavailable right now." Damon said into the phone.

"Damon… what are you doing?" Judith growled into the phone.

"Currently holding you boyfriend's life in my hands… his very human… very fragile life." Damon continued to taunt her.

"Let him go." Judith demanded.

"Can't do that… not yet." Damon said.

"What do you want?" Judith asked.

"I think you know what I want." Damon said.

"She doesn't want to see you." Judith defended Claire.

"I find that a little hard to believe." Damon said with a heavy sigh.

"Really? Her running off every time you got near her didn't tip you off? Has age really made you that blind?" Judith said angrily.

"Careful…" Damon threatened.

"Where are you?" Judith asked.

"Brian never left work." Damon answered.

Judith hung up the phone and walked up the stairs.

Opening the door to her niece's room she looked at Claire as she lay on her bed reading a book with ear buds to her iPod in.

Seeing her aunt, Claire removed the buds from her ears.

"Claire… I'm sorry to spring this on you, but we're going to have to go see Damon." Judith said.

Sitting up and looking at her aunt, Claire said, "Absolutely not… I refuse."

"We have to." Judith said.

"Why?" Claire demanded to know.

"He's got Brian." Judith admitted.

Claire's blue eyes widened, "What? Why? Why would he do that?"

"I told you the stories I've heard over the years…" Judith offered the only explanation that she had.

Claire stood from the bed and followed her aunt out the door to her car, her heart raced with every moment as they got closer.

"I'm going to go in the room first, see if I can talk to Damon and get Brian to safety. I hate having to put you through this… so just stay close to the door and you'll only have to come out if there is no reasoning with him." Judith said, seeing her niece's distraught expression.

"I can't do this." Claire said pinning her eyes closed.

"Claire…" Judith tried to reason, but Claire cut her off.

"He is the only man that I have ever loved… I can't handle this right now. Why does he even want to see me?" Claire asked.

"I don't know." Judith answered honestly.

Claire looked out the window as they neared the college campus.

"I was so in love with him…" Claire said shaking her head back and forth as she fought her urge to cry.

Judith looked over at her, "You sure you're still not? You've been trying to avoid him so hard…"

"Because I can't see him… it's too painful. He's Damon, but he's not really Damon. Stefan at least tried not to hurt people and he is cruel these days. I can't imagine how terrible Damon must be when he's not even tried to stop hurting anyone…" Claire said.

"I'm sorry." Judith said.

"As am I." Claire said, wiping a tear from her cheek that had spilled from her eye as they pulled into the almost empty college campus parking lot to the building Brian taught in.

Damon looked over to Brian as he sat in the chair at his desk groaning and rubbed his head in pain.

"Pretty sure Judith got the message… for your sake you better hope she did." Damon said as he looked at the clock and waited for them to arrive.

**((_1864 Mystic Falls, Virginia_))**

"Claire… please get up honey." Francis said as she walked into her daughter's room.

"Mother, please… just leave me be." Claire said her voice hoarse as she didn't move from her side on the bed in her room.

"Mary and Edith are worried sick about you." Francis said, as she sat down and brushed some of her daughter's now unruly blond hair from her pale face.

"Honey, please talk to me. You haven't left your room in a week; you've barely taken a bite of food." Francis said as she felt her daughters head for a fever.

"I am ill mother." Claire said.

Francis gasped, "Should I send for the doctor?"

Claire shook her head back and forth, "I am heart-sick."

Francis sighed, "I've tried to reason with your father, but he won't cave at all on the matter. He does not want you to even associate with Damon."

Claire sat up and faced her mother.

"This is not right! Damon is a good man, he loves me and I love him." Claire said, her voice still hoarse.

Francis looked back to her daughter's bedroom door, worried Garret might overhear them.

"Damon is a better man than father will ever be." Claire said her voice getting louder as her sadness started to turn into anger.

"Keep your voice quiet!" Francis ordered.

"I am only speaking the truth, mother. Father is cruel and does not have a shred of decency left in him! He strikes you and doesn't hesitate to strike me. Just yesterday he nearly broke poor Mary's arm!" Claire said, her voice growing louder with very word.

"Claire Ann Worthington, you hush your mouth this minute. You are only going to cause more pain. Must you always get yourself into trouble?" Francis asked her 15 year old daughter.

"What is going on?" Garret asked angrily as he walked into Claire's room and looked at them.

"It's nothing, Claire isn't feeling well." Francis tried to cover up the situation.

"She's not feeling well because she will not get out of her bed. How are you going to redeem yourself in this community if you stay locked away?" Garret asked.

"Why should I redeem myself? I have nothing to live for." Claire said.

"Claire Ann!" Francis gasped.

"I don't. Father has made sure of that." Claire said.

"I have given you everything. You have your own room, more formal gowns than any other woman in Mystic Falls. You are free to travel to and from the market by yourself with my money." Garret yelled, his voice echoing through the house.

"I don't want a damned bit of it! It doesn't matter. The only reason you built this large house was to flaunt our family's wealth… it's sickening. How many poor orphaned children and widows are starving? In camps with unsanitary conditions with disease running wild?" Claire yelled.

Walking over Garret backhanded his daughter across the face so hard it knocked her off the bed.

Francis looked down to her teenage daughter with tears in her eyes as she scurried from the room.

Claire pulled herself to her feet and faced him, "Go ahead, leave another bruise or welt on me… the neighbors are beginning to talk."

"If the neighbors are talking about anything it's about what a whore you are." He growled.

Claire's cheeks reddened and she looked away.

"Now take Mary to the market. The fresh air will do you some good, and we need jars to preserve the last of our gardens harvest." Garret yelled.

"I do not feel well father." Claire said, not wanting to leave the house.

"Do not disrespect me." Garret growled at her.

"I have no respect for you." She said, her lip curled in disgust.

He hit her again on the same cheek, sending her backwards and she fell to the floor as blood ran from her mouth.

"Get washed up, put on a new dress, pin your hair up and take your sister to the market!" Garret yelled before he stormed out of her room.

Claire sat up and felt her bruised sore cheek, her gums were swollen and her teeth ached.

She looked down at her wood floor, and saw the blood that had ran from the corner of her mouth.

Slowly she pulled herself to her feet and did as she had been told. After she washed up she changed into a new dress she attempted to cover her bruised cheek with make-up, but the bruise showed right through, so she gave up.

Loosely she braided her hair and headed down the stairs.

"Ready Mary?" Clair asked as she gathered a few of their bags they used to transport goods home from the market.

"I told you to pin your hair up." Garret yelled as he walked into the living room and saw her.

"I do not have any pins." Claire lied.

"You're not leaving this house looking like that… like some common street-wench." He snapped.

Mary gasped and lowered her head, not looking up to her sister or her father.

"Mary! Go get your sister some pins!" He demanded.

Mary ran up the stairs so fast she almost tripped, she returned within moments.

Angrily, Claire rolled the braid up and pinned it up.

Garret gave Claire a small purse containing money.

Claire opened the door and walked out into the mid-day sun, hand in hand with her 12 year old sister.

Once they were off her family's property Claire let go of her sisters hand and unpinned her hair, unraveling the braid.

Her long, wavy, light blonde hair blew in the gentle breeze.

"Father will be angry." Mary said, her small voice showed fear.

"Father is always angry with me." Claire said, her blue eyes meeting her sister's lighter blue eyes.

Marry nodded.

The sisters made their way through the town of Mystic Falls, towards the town square where the market was set up.

"Claire, can I ask you something?" Mary questioned, looking to her sister.

"It's not 'can' Mary, it's 'may' you ask me a question." Claire corrected her.

"May I ask you a question?" Mary said her corrected statement.

"You may." Claire said as they neared the town's church.

"Why does father call you names… wench… harlot…" Mary questioned.

Claire gasped at hearing the words leave her sisters mouth.

"Mary Abigail! Don't ever use those words again! Father would ring your neck if he heard you using such language!" Claire yelled.

"I'm sorry… but, what he says isn't true… is it?" Mary asked.

Claire sighed heavily.

"You don't even know what those words mean." Claire argued, avoiding an answer.

"I do too." Mary argued.

"You don't." Claire said.

"They are different terms for a whore." Mary said, her small voice strong.

Claire's eyes widened and she knelt down on the ground in front of her sister who only 3 years younger was quite a bit shorter than her.

"You are a young lady… a young lady from the most prominent and well respected family in this town. Don't ever use that language again!" Claire lectured.

Mary nodded, but still looked at Claire waiting for her answer.

Placing a hand on her sisters cheek, Claire took a deep breath and said, "People are always going to talk and say nasty things about others. When someone dares to utter those words to me… I lift my head high and walk past them. It is not their place to judge me, and I refuse to let them have rule over my life."

Claire's voice was strong and Mary managed a small smile at her sister's confidence.

Claire leaned in pressing a kiss to her sisters forehead before she rose to her feet.

But once Mary wasn't looking Claire quickly swiped a tear from her cheek, she may have sounded strong for her sisters. But the truth was it burnt her deeply every time someone called her those names.

They passed the church and Mary observed the long line of people making their way into the church.

"What is going on?" Mary questioned.

"A wedding… chances are another man is going off to the war." Claire said, a grim look on her porcelain face.

"Do you think you will marry Damon?" Mary asked her.

Claire bit down hard on the inside of her cheek.

"No… father will never allow it." Claire said solemnly.

"I don't care for father much anymore…" Mary admitted her voice trailing off as they neared the market.

"Shhh." Claire hushed.

After the sisters had collected some jars and Claire picked out a few books, they paid and looked around a little more.

Mary's grip tightened on Claire's hand.

Claire looked down and then followed her sister's gaze to where Damon was standing.

Claire's breath caught in her throat as her sad eyes locked with his. It had been just over a week since the night she had broken things off with him.

Pulling her eyes from his she said, "Come on Mary… we have to get home before dark."

"He's heading toward us." Mary informed her older sister as Claire pulled her along.

* * *

**A/N- Thank you for reading. I hope you guys all liked the chapter. ^_^**

**I have some Teen Wolf stories up on my page.**

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